Detection of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein in Patient Plasma Using On-Chip Graphene Field-Effect Biosensors, in Comparison with ELISA and Single-Molecule Array

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a discriminative blood biomarker for many neurological diseases, such as traumatic brain injury. Detection of GFAP in buffer solutions using biosensors has been demonstrated, but accurate quantification of GFAP in patient samples has not been reported, yet in urgent need. Herein, we demonstrate a robust on-chip graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) biosensing method for sensitive and ultrafast detection of GFAP in patient plasma. Patients with moderate- severe traumatic brain injuries, defined by the Mayo classification, are recruited to provide plasma samples. The binding of target GFAP with the specific antibodies that are conjugated on a monolayer GFET device triggers the shift of its Dirac point, and this signal change is correlated with the GFAP concentration in the patient plasma. The limit of detection (LOD) values of 20 fg/mL (400 aM) in buffer solution and 231 fg/mL (4 fM) in patient plasma have been achieved using this approach. In parallel, for the first time, we compare our results to the state-of-the-art single-molecule array (Simoa) technology and the classic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for reference. The GFET biosensor shows competitive LOD to Simoa (1.18 pg/mL) and faster sample-to-result time (<15 min), and also it is cheaper and more user-friendly. In comparison to ELISA, GFET offers advantages of total detection time, detection sensitivity, and simplicity. This GFET biosensing platform holds high promise for the point-of-care diagnosis and monitoring of traumatic brain injury in GP surgeries and patient homes.

Automated summary

The study presents an innovative GFET biosensing method for sensitive and rapid detection of GFAP in patient plasma, holding great promise for diagnostic applications.