Development of an aptasensor for detection of tumour necrosis factor alpha based on transition metal dichalcogenide

An abnormal increase in cytokine, a biomolecule found in body fluids, is often an indication of failing health conditions, which has made the early detection of such events of great importance. In this study, an aptameric cytokine sensor was built based on the diode behavior that arises due to asymmetric contact area or length of MoS2 geometries. For a proof of concept, the sensor was tested for tumor nercosis factor-α (TNF-α), an inflammatory cytokine biomarker. The sensor showed an ultra-sensitive limit of detection (LOD) (compared to many other cytokine sensors at present) of 10 fM for TNF-α, with a good selectivity against IL-6 and C-reactive proteins. This detection is one order of magnitude less than the levels present in blood serums of healthy young adults and is therefore, a good candidate for early diagnosis.