Enhanced electrochemical immunosensor utilizing pATA/AuNPs for sensitive detection of the leukemia-associated biomarker CD123 in bone marrow supernatant

Abstract

Background

Cluster of differentiation 123 (CD123) prominently overexpress in various hematological malignancies and plays a crucial role in diagnosis and prognosis of leukemia. Clinical studies have demonstrated that cell-free CD123 levels also significantly influence leukemia immunotherapy outcomes. The development of novel electrochemical immunosensors addresses the need for point-of-care detection tools, thereby facilitating advancements in clinical monitoring technologies.

Methods

This study presented a practical electrochemical immunosensor constructed using sandwich strategy for CD123 detection based on the modification of gold nanoparticles and poly (2-aminoterephthalic acid). Common proteins and tumor-related biomarkers found in human were selected as interference factors to evaluate the detection specificity of the electrochemical immunosensor. Further, the electrochemical immunosensor was utilized to directly detect CD123 in bone marrow supernatant from leukemia patients.

Results

The constructed electrochemical immunosensor exhibited good linearity for CD123 detection over a range of 0.02 to 2.5 µg/mL, with a detection limit of 12.8 ng/mL, alongside satisfactory specificity and repeatability. Furthermore, the immunosensor was successfully employed to detect CD123 levels in the bone marrow supernatant of leukemia patients, demonstrating results that were highly consistent with those obtained via ELISA.

Conclusions

The developed approach is anticipated to provide robust technical support for the long-term monitoring of leukemia patients during their diagnosis and treatment.