Microfluidic Integrated Organic Electrochemical Transistor with a Nanoporous Membrane for Amyloid-β Detection
byA. Koklu, S. Wustoni, V. Musteata, D. Ohayon, M. Moser, I. McCulloch, S. P. Nunes
Year:2021DOI:doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c09893
Bibliography
ACS Nano 2021, 15, 8130-8141
Extra Information
ACS Nano 2021, 15, 8130-8141
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with
a severe loss in thinking, learning, and memory functions of the brain.
To date, no specific treatment has been proven to cure AD, with the
early diagnosis being vital for mitigating symptoms. A common
pathological change found in AD-affected brains is the accumulation of a
protein named amyloid-β (Aβ) into plaques. In this work, we developed a
micron-scale organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) integrated with a
microfluidic platform for the label-free detection of Aβ aggregates in
human serum. The OECT channel–electrolyte interface was covered with a
nanoporous membrane functionalized with Congo red (CR) molecules showing
a strong affinity for Aβ aggregates. Each aggregate binding to the
CR-membrane modulated the vertical ion flow toward the channel, changing
the transistor characteristics. Thus, the device performance was not
limited by the solution ionic strength nor did it rely on Faradaic
reactions or conformational changes of bioreceptors. The high
transconductance of the OECT, the precise porosity of the membrane, and
the compactness endowed by the microfluidic enabled the Aβ aggregate
detection over eight orders of magnitude wide concentration range
(femtomolar–nanomolar) in 1 μL of human serum samples. We expanded the
operation modes of our transistors using different channel materials and
found that the accumulation-mode OECTs displayed the lowest power
consumption and highest sensitivities. Ultimately, these robust,
low-power, sensitive, and miniaturized microfluidic sensors helped to
develop point-of-care tools for the early diagnosis of AD.