Synergistically functionalized molybdenum disulfide-reduced graphene oxide nanohybrid based ultrasensitive electrochemical immunosensor for real sample analysis of COVID-19

Herein, we have proposed a straightforward and label-free electrochemical immunosensing strategy supported on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with a biocompatible and conducting biopolymer functionalized molybdenum disulfide-reduced graphene oxide (CS-MoS2/rGO) nanohybrid to investigate the SARS-CoV-2 virus. CS-MoS2/rGO nanohybrid-based immunosensor employs recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike RBD protein (rSP) that specifically identifies antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus via differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The antigen-antibody interaction diminishes the current responses of the immunosensor. The obtained results indi-cate that the fabricated immunosensor is extraordinarily capable of highly sensitive and specific detection of the corresponding SARS-CoV-2 antibodies with a LOD of 2.38 zg mL-1 in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) samples over a broad linear range between 10 zg mL-1-100 ng mL-1. In addition, the proposed immunosensor can detect attomolar concentrations in spiked human serum samples. The performance of this immunosensor is assessed using actual serum samples from COVID-19-infected patients. The proposed immunosensor can accurately and substantially differentiate between (+) positive and (-) negative samples. As a result, the nanohybrid can provide insight into the conception of Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) platforms for cutting-edge infectious disease diagnostic methods.

Automated summary

In this study, a straightforward and label-free electrochemical immunosensing strategy based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with a biocompatible and conducting biopolymer functionalized molybdenum disulfide-reduced graphene oxide (CS-MoS2/rGO) nanohybrid is proposed to investigate the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The immunosensor employs recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike RBD protein (rSP) to specifically identify antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The results demonstrate that the immunosensor is capable of highly sensitive and specific detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and can differentiate between positive and negative samples accurately.