A portable thermal detection method based on the target responsive hydrogel mediated self-heating of a warming pad

A simple thermal aptasensing platform was devised for the sensitive detection of organophosphate pesticides (using malathion as a model target) based on the efficient self-heating reaction of a warming pad with a switchable target responsive enzyme-encapsulated three-dimensional (3D) DNA hydrogel using a portable thermometer as a signal readout in this work. The existence of the target malathion would open the catalase-3D network and lots of catalase was released from the hydrogel, which could efficiently convert H2O2 to an O-2 molecule. The product O-2 is the critical condition for the self-heating of the warming pad. Thereafter, the temperature was enhanced with the increasing amount of O-2. The strategy displays outstanding specificity, reproducibility and stability. Moreover, this method can be easily extended to monitor other molecules using different aptamer sequences in practical applications.

Automated summary

A simple thermal aptasensing platform was developed for sensitive detection of organophosphate pesticides, specifically using malathion as a model target. The platform utilizes the efficient self-heating reaction of a warming pad with a switchable target responsive enzyme-encapsulated three-dimensional DNA hydrogel, with a portable thermometer as the signal readout. This strategy demonstrates excellent specificity, reproducibility, and stability, and has potential for extension to monitor other molecules using different aptamer sequences.