Label-free electrochemical impedance spectroscopy biosensor for direct detection of cancer cells based on the interaction between carbohydrate and lectin

A novel label-free electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) biosensor for direct cancer cell detection based on the interaction between carbohydrate and lectin has been developed with good sensitivity and selectivity. In the present work, concanavalin A (Con A), a mannose specific lectin, was immobilized on a gold disk electrode to fabricate the Con A sensor. This sensor was incubated with the cancer cell sample, and the binding of cancer cells with Con A resulted in a change of charge transfer resistance (Rct). EIS measurement was employed to measure the impedance change which reveals the concentration of cancer cells. This method has been successfully applied in human liver cancer cell Bel-7404 for direct and sensitive detection with a detection limit of 234 cells/mL. This method could be extended to carry out multi-component diagnosis applications, thus providing enormous potential for applications of cancer monitoring and therapy.

► Label-free electrochemical impedance spectroscopy biosensor for direct detection of cancer cells.
► Practical application for human liver cancer cell Bel-7404 determination with detection limit of 234 cells/mL.
► Enormous potential for applications of cancer monitoring and therapying.