Researchers from Graphenea, Ikerbasque, BCMaterials, Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE) of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), University of the Basque Country UPV-EHU, University of Trieste and Universidade da Coruña recently reported a graphene field effect transistors (GFET) array biosensor for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, using the human membrane protein involved in the virus internalisation: angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).
By finely controlling the graphene functionalization, by tuning the Debye length, and by deeply characterizing the ACE2-spike protein interactions, the team managed to detect the target protein with an extremely low limit of detection (2.94 aM).
This work could open the door to a new class of analytical platforms, based on human membrane proteins, with the potential to detect a broad variety of pathogens, even before their isolation, being a powerful tool in the fight against future pandemics.
Graphene field effect transistors (GFET) are analytical platforms that can address the need for faster, more precise and sensitive sensors for accurate detection of various pathogens.