Detection of cancer biomarkers by piezoelectric biosensor using PZT ceramic resonator as the transducer

A novel piezoelectric biosensor using lead titanate zirconate (PZT) ceramic resonator as transducer was developed for label-free, cost-effective, and direct detection of cancer biomarkers. We designed a dual sensing scheme where two ceramic resonators were connected in parallel, in which one resonator was used as the sensing unit and the other as the control unit, in order to minimize environment influences including temperature fluctuation and to achieve the required frequency stability for biosensing applications. Detection of selected cancer biomarkers, such as prostate specific antigen (PSA) and α-fetoprotein (AFP) was carried out to evaluate the performance of the biosensor. The device showed high sensitivity (0.25 ng/ml) and fast detection (within 30 min) with small amount of sample (1 μl), which is compatible to that required by clinical measurements. The results also showed that the ceramic resonator-based piezoelectric biosensor platform could be utilized with different chemical interfaces, and the miniaturized size of the ceramic resonators makes it suitable for fabricating sensor arrays for multiplex detection.

► A piezoelectric biosensor based on ceramic resonators was developed for cancer markers detection.
► Ceramic resonators have higher sensitivity and lower cost comparing to quartz crystals.
► A dual sensing scheme was adopted to reduce environmental fluctuation and achieve frequency stability.