Mohammad Nabil Abo-Zeid
Disposable and sensitive electrochemical magneto-immunosensor for point-of-care HCV diagnostics: Targeting HCVcAg, the active viremia biomarker, in patient samples
Abo-Zeid, Mohammad Nabil; Walter, Cheryl; Kitchman, Katie; Eastick, Kirstine; Corless, Lynsey; Greenman, John
Authors
Dr Cheryl Walter C.Walter@hull.ac.uk
Senior lecturer in Biomedical Science
Katie Kitchman
Kirstine Eastick
Lynsey Corless
Professor John Greenman J.Greenman@hull.ac.uk
Professor of Tumour Immunology
Abstract
Early detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is crucial for eliminating this silent killer, especially in resource-limited settings. HCV core antigen (HCVcAg) represents a promising alternative to the current “gold standard” HCV RNA assays as an active viremia biomarker. Herein, a highly sensitive electrochemical magneto-immunosensor for the HCVcAg was developed. The biosensing strategy involved capturing HCVcAg using antibody-coated magnetic beads, followed by a sandwich immunoassay before electrochemical detection on disposable screen-printed electrodes. To achieve signal amplification and consequent enhanced sensitivity, the antigen-antibody reaction was detected with a biotinylated polyclonal antibody subsequently labelled with a streptavidin poly horseradish peroxidase conjugate followed by amperometric detection via a hydroquinone/hydrogen peroxide system. The developed biosensor exhibited a cathodic current variation directly proportional to the HCVcAg concentration over a wide range (0.1–500 ng/mL), with a detection limit of 10 pg/mL. Moreover, it successfully discriminated healthy control human plasma samples from HCVcAg-spiked samples, showed no interference from endogenous plasma constituents or cross-reactivity with other viruses tested, and possessed excellent percentage recoveries of HCVcAg (≥92.83%), demonstrating high specificity. The proposed bioplatform remained stable for at least ten days and showed excellent clinical performance in detecting HCVcAg across a cohort of thirty-six plasma and serum samples from active hepatitis C cases, and healthy individuals, with results matching those previously obtained using clinically validated qPCR and serological testing. In summary, this biosensor provides a simple, rapid and economic alternative to other available techniques such as ELISA and qPCR for early diagnosis of HCV infection.
Citation
Abo-Zeid, M. N., Walter, C., Kitchman, K., Eastick, K., Corless, L., & Greenman, J. (2025). Disposable and sensitive electrochemical magneto-immunosensor for point-of-care HCV diagnostics: Targeting HCVcAg, the active viremia biomarker, in patient samples. Biosensors & bioelectronics, 272, Article 117104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2024.117104
| Journal Article Type | Article |
|---|---|
| Acceptance Date | Dec 24, 2024 |
| Online Publication Date | Dec 26, 2024 |
| Publication Date | Mar 15, 2025 |
| Deposit Date | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Publicly Available Date | Dec 27, 2025 |
| Journal | Biosensors and Bioelectronics |
| Print ISSN | 0956-5663 |
| Electronic ISSN | 1873-4235 |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
| Volume | 272 |
| Article Number | 117104 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2024.117104 |
| Public URL | https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/5083577 |
Files
This file is under embargo until Dec 27, 2025 due to copyright reasons.
Contact J.Greenman@hull.ac.uk to request a copy for personal use.