Rapid and label-free detection of protein a by aptamer-tethered porous silicon nanostructures

•Aptamer-conjugated porous Si nanostructures are designed as optical biosensors.•Selective detection and quantification of the target analyte protein A is demonstrated.•A sandwich assay format is demonstrated for signal enhancement.•The biosensor allows rapid, label-free and simple analysis.

Protein A, which is secreted by and displayed on the cell membrane of Staphylococcus aureus is an important biomarker for S. aureus. Thus, its rapid and specific detection may facilitate the pathogen identification and initiation of proper treatment. Herein, we present a simple, label-free and rapid optical biosensor enabling specific detection of protein A. Protein A-binding aptamer serves as the capture probe and is immobilized onto a nanostructured porous silicon thin film, which serves as the optical transducer element. We demonstrate high sensitivity of the biosensor with a linear detection range between 8 and 23 μM. The apparent dissociation constant was determined as 13.98 μM and the LoD is 3.17 μM. Harnessing the affinity between protein A and antibodies, a sandwich assay format was developed to amplify the optical signal associated with protein A capture by the aptamer. Using this approach, we increase the sensitivity of the biosensor, resulting in a three times lower LoD.

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