ISPM RAS: Reusable biosensor for virus recognition

Main article: Viruses

2025: Introducing a reusable device to quickly recognize viruses

Scientists from the N.S. Yenikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymer Materials of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow) and colleagues have developed a reusable device that allows you to quickly recognize viruses in human biological fluids. As a basis, the authors used organic semiconductor transistors, on which a replaceable polymer membrane treated with an aptamer, a DNA molecule that specifically binds influenza A virus, was placed. The proposed device turned out to be 10 thousand times more sensitive than the antibody-based test system used in clinical practice, but 10-100 times less sensitive than the PCR technique. However, unlike PCR, which takes several hours, the developed plate conducts the analysis in less than 20 minutes. This was announced by the Russian Scientific Foundation (RNF) on April 23, 2025.

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Фото: Elena Poymanova

In hospitals and clinics, patients suffering from respiratory diseases are sent to check a viral infection. In this case, samples from the oral cavity or the nasal cavity are taken from a person, which are analyzed either using methods based on antibodies, or due to polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, the results of these tests become known only after a few hours or days. Alternatively, organic field effect transistors with an electric gate may be used. Such plate biosensors allow the detection of viruses, specific proteins, hormones in serum, saliva, sweat or human cerebrospinal fluid. However, as of April 2025, all biosensors are disposable and expensive, making them difficult to widely apply.

Scientists have proposed a way to make biosensors reusable. The authors added to their design a removable element - an inexpensive polymer membrane coated with aptamers (small DNA molecules) that specifically recognize and bind the components of biological fluids, for example, virus particles in an infected person. Aptamers are resistant to heat, change in the acidity of the medium and remain functional in biological media, which allows them to be used in clinical practice.

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Фото: Elena Poymanova

To test the effectiveness of modified biosensors, the authors lowered the membrane with aptamers into solutions with different concentrations of influenza A virus. The researchers chose this pathogen, since in hospitals it is its presence that is primarily checked in all patients with acute respiratory infections. When the membrane was immersed in the solution, the aptamer bound the viral particles, and structural changes occurred in the aptamer molecule. Then the scientists placed such a membrane on a biosensor, and the changed form of the aptamer that bound to the virus modified the electric current sent through the biosensor, as a result of which the researchers received a signal about the presence of a pathogen.

The developed device made it possible to identify the virus in solution if its concentration was 80 thousand viral particles (or more) per milliliter. That is, aptasensors turned out to be about 10 thousand times more sensitive than the antibody-based analysis used in clinical practice, but showed a result 10-100 times worse than the PCR method. However, unlike PCR, which takes about two to three hours, the analysis with aptasensors lasted no more than 20 minutes. Despite the lower sensitivity, aptasensors can potentially be used to quickly analyze a patient's condition.

The researchers showed that the designs they proposed can be used repeatedly - it is enough to replace the inexpensive replaceable membrane, leaving the biosensor. In this case, the structure of the biosensor was not damaged with at least three changes of the membrane on the surface of the device.

Our modification will make it easier to make the universal sensors needed in ambulances, clinics and hospitals and consisting of fast, non-invasive miniature sensors to detect a wide range of viruses. In addition, our design can be used to make multisensors - devices that are sensitive to several viruses at the same time. In the future, we plan to modify our platforms with different learning elements and expand the range of analyzed objects, "said Elena Poymanova, Candidate of Chemical Sciences, Senior Researcher at the N.S. Enikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymer Materials, RAS.

The study involved employees of the Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow), the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research ( Dubna) and the Federal Scientific and Clinical Center for Physico-Chemical Medicine named after Academician Yu.M. Lopukhin FMBA of Russia ( Moscow).