Detection of aquaporin-4 antibody using aquaporin-4 extracellular loop-based carbon nanotube biosensor for the diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica

Here we propose a carbon nanotube (CNT) field-effect transistor (FET) functionalized with aquaporin-4 (AQP4) extracellular loop peptides for the rapid detection of AQP4 antibody without pretreatment. Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a rare disease of the central nerve system that affects the optic nerves and the spinal cord. NMO-IgG, a serum antibody in patients, is highly specific for NMO and targets AQP4. We synthesized AQP4 extracellular loop peptides, known as primary autoimmune target in NMO, and immobilized them onto CNT-FET. The sensor showed p-type FET characteristics after the functionalization of peptides. The sensor was able to detect antibody with a detection limit of 1 ng l−1. Moreover, AQP4 antibody in human serum was detected without any pretreatment. These results indicate that the biosensor can be used for rapid and simple detection of NMO antibody.