DNA nanostructure-based ultrasensitive electrochemical microRNA biosensor

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of a wide range of cellular processes, and have been identified as promising cancer biomarkers due to their stable presence in serum. As an surface-based electrochemical biosensors which offer great opportunities for low-cost, point-of-care tests (POCTs) of disease-associated miRNAs. Nevertheless, the sensitivity of miRNA sensors is often limited by mass transport and the surface crowding effect at the water-electrode interface. Here, we present a protocol as well as guidelines for ultrasensitive detection of miRNA with DNA nanostructure-based electrochemical miRNA biosensor. By employing the three-dimensional DNA nanostructure-based interfacial engineering approach, we can directly detect as few as attomolar (<1000 copies) miRNAs with high single-base discrimination ability. Since this ultrasensitive electrochemical miRNA sensor (EMRS) is highly reproducible and essentially free of prior target labeling and PCR amplification, it can conveniently and reliably analyze miRNA expression levels in clinical samples from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients.