Wen Li , Mingqian Chen , Youqian Chen , Yihui Yang, Jingyan Ruan, Jiaxiang Chang, Jiacong Li, Gang Logan Liu, Wenjun Hu
{"title":"Metasurface plasmon resonance platform for high-throughput, label-free, real-time, long-term monitoring of in vitro cancer therapy assessment","authors":"Wen Li , Mingqian Chen , Youqian Chen , Yihui Yang, Jingyan Ruan, Jiaxiang Chang, Jiacong Li, Gang Logan Liu, Wenjun Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118052","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118052","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Improving real-time and long-term assessment of cellular behaviors in vitro is crucial for basic scientific research and drug development. This study establishes a high-throughput, real-time, label-free, long-term cell analysis and drug screening platform based on metasurface plasmon resonance (MetaSPR) spectroscopy. This platform was applied to monitor cell proliferation, drug–target cell interactions, cell adhesion, and natural killer cell–mediated cell lysis. The accuracy of the platform was validated by a linear relationship between the MetaSPR results and cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) assay/imaging signals, providing a solid foundation for further experiments. This platform consistently monitors cell proliferation, drug–target cell interactions, and cell adhesion/spreading, yielding results comparable to those obtained using traditional CCK-8 and flow cytometry methods. Additionally, the cytolytic activity of natural killer cells was evaluated by co-culturing them with target cells at varying effector:target ratios and monitoring their interactions. The results demonstrate that the spectroscopic MetaSPR detection system can quantitatively assess cytolytic activity mediated by immune cells. The rapid response, cost-effectiveness, real-time monitoring capability, and non-invasive characteristics of this platform can enhance the understanding of complex cellular processes and create new possibilities for drug screening and clinical diagnostics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":259,"journal":{"name":"Biosensors and Bioelectronics","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 118052"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bingjie Li , Zhenhua Ren , Xiujuan Zhang , Xinyao Zhu , Shuxian Qin , Xiaoqiang Liu , Danny K.Y. Wong
{"title":"A Ti3C2 MXene@TiO2/Co2.7Ni0.3O4 Z-scheme heterojunction as a photoelectrochemical sensing platform for H2O2 from Hela cell mitochondria","authors":"Bingjie Li , Zhenhua Ren , Xiujuan Zhang , Xinyao Zhu , Shuxian Qin , Xiaoqiang Liu , Danny K.Y. Wong","doi":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118034","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118034","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this work, we have constructed a Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub> MXene@TiO<sub>2</sub>/Co<sub>2.7</sub>Ni<sub>0.3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> Z-type heterojunction with excellent conductivity and efficient electron transport (23 <span><math><mrow><mi>Ω</mi></mrow></math></span> charge transfer resistance, 0.79 electron transfer coefficient, and 0.29 s<sup>−1</sup> heterogeneous electron transfer constant, based on the redox marker [Fe(CN)<sub>6</sub>]<sup>4-</sup>), which have all contributed to effectively minimising recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes, making it a superior electrode material for developing a photoelectrochemical sensor. Experimentally, low-temperature annealing was exploited to partially oxidise Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub> to TiO<sub>2</sub> to establish an intimate contact between them, before being loaded on a Co<sub>2.7</sub>Ni<sub>0.3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanowire array to form a Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub> MXene@TiO<sub>2</sub>/Co<sub>2.7</sub>Ni<sub>0.3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> heterojunction. After microscopically and spectroscopically characterising the material, electrochemical studies demonstrated matching conduction band voltage of Co<sub>2.7</sub>Ni<sub>0.3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> (0.66 eV) and valence band voltage of TiO<sub>2</sub> (−0.4 eV) that facilitate electron transport. The results have allowed us to propose a detection mechanism for H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> at the photoelectrochemical sensor. The photoelectrochemical sensor was then applied to detecting H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> enzymatically converted by superoxide dismutase from superoxide radicals released in mitochondria extracted from cancerous HeLa cells. In this respect, a 0.05–50,000 nM linear range, a 5.93 <span><math><mrow><mi>μ</mi><mi>A</mi></mrow></math></span> sensitivity, and a 0.03 nM H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> limit of detection were accomplished.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":259,"journal":{"name":"Biosensors and Bioelectronics","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 118034"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145218371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Li Pan , Caiqing Yuan , Xiaowei Ma , Dunkai Wu , Yanhao Dong, Jing Ye, Shufan Pan, Donglei Yang, Pengfei Wang
{"title":"DNA encoded multi-round profiling of extracellular vesicle membrane proteins for cancer diagnostics","authors":"Li Pan , Caiqing Yuan , Xiaowei Ma , Dunkai Wu , Yanhao Dong, Jing Ye, Shufan Pan, Donglei Yang, Pengfei Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118055","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118055","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rising global burden of cancer underscores the urgent demand for minimally invasive precision diagnostic methods. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging cancer liquid biopsy biomarkers carrying promising molecular markers such as membrane proteins. However, conventional approaches to EV membrane protein profiling remain limited by low multiplexing capability, high sample consumption, and complex operational workflows. Herein, we report a <u>D</u>NA <u>e</u>ncoded mul<u>t</u>i-round profiling of <u>e</u>xtracellular vesicle membrane proteins for <u>c</u>ancer diagnos<u>t</u>ics (DETECT) strategy that enables detection of EV membrane proteins with high sensitivity and scalability. This method leverages engineered aptamer probes to facilitate the capture and multi-round <em>in situ</em> detection of 9 EV surface proteins. DETECT integrates aptamer recognition with hybridization chain reaction (HCR) for signal amplification, followed by enzymatic cleavage for complete signal erasure, thereby enabling cyclic detection of multiple protein targets on the same EVs population. Clinical validation with EVs isolated from 48 serum samples of three cancer (gastric, breast, and prostate) demonstrated DETECT's capability to uncover cancer-specific membrane protein fingerprints, which achieved 100 % accuracy in differentiating cancers from noncancers and 83.3 % classification accuracy in differentiating three cancer types. DETECT represents a feasible, robust, and scalable technical platform for profiling EV surface proteins that shall hold great application potential in cancer diagnostics and beyond.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":259,"journal":{"name":"Biosensors and Bioelectronics","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 118055"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211072","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jintao Cai , Huimin Wang , Lening Sun , Chao He , Meng Jiang , Lin Zhang , Xuewen Shu
{"title":"Plasmonic-enhanced annular fiber grating for label-free carcinoembryonic antigen detection with synchronous temperature monitoring","authors":"Jintao Cai , Huimin Wang , Lening Sun , Chao He , Meng Jiang , Lin Zhang , Xuewen Shu","doi":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118053","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118053","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The accurate and sensitive detection of oncological biomarkers carries paramount clinical significance, serving as a critical gateway for early disease diagnosis and precision therapeutic strategies. Here, we demonstrate a plasmonic-enhanced annular small-period long-period fiber grating biosensor, where localized electric fields from gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) amplify the sensitivity for label-free carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) detection. The innovative annular grating design simultaneously excites both Bragg resonance and cladding mode resonance, enabling synchronous temperature and molecular sensing, which is a crucial feature for precise measurements as fiber-optic biosensors are inherently susceptible to temperature cross-talk. By leveraging the localized surface plasmon-effect of AuNPs, the sensor achieves significantly enhanced sensitivity toward target molecules. This nanoscale field confinement effectively prevents nonspecific amplification of the whole fiber surface, thereby eliminating false-positive signals. The optimized sensor demonstrates a detection limit of 1 ng/mL in pure CEA solutions (1–100 ng/mL concentration range) while maintaining comparable performance in mouse serum and exhibiting excellent specificity against potential interferents. This work establishes a reliable and highly sensitive platform that addresses both multifunctional sensing requirements and clinical needs for early cancer biomarker detection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":259,"journal":{"name":"Biosensors and Bioelectronics","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 118053"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yiyao Yang , Yuxin Guo , Zhaoliang Wang , Yifan Weng , Tingting Hao , Qingqing Zhang , Shuihua Wang , Zhiyong Guo
{"title":"Deep learning-driven morphological analysis for assessing EMT state and drug sensitivity of single tumor cell","authors":"Yiyao Yang , Yuxin Guo , Zhaoliang Wang , Yifan Weng , Tingting Hao , Qingqing Zhang , Shuihua Wang , Zhiyong Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118051","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118051","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Metastasis driven by the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is a major challenge in cancer treatment. Current EMT assessment methods rely on invasive detection of protein or genetic markers, lack single-cell resolution, and fail to provide real-time dynamic insights, especially for rare CTCs. Here, we developed a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based deep learning model that quantifies EMT states in single or scarce CTCs through non-invasive, label-free morphological profiling. First, TGF-β-stimulated EMT induction in MCF-7 cells was monitored through quantitative assessment of EMT-related protein expression, identifying key transitional timepoints. Then, five distinct morphological states representing EMT progression were selected via combined morphological observation. Finally, cellular images from these states were processed by the developed convolutional neural network (CNN) model, which performs label-free morphological profiling at single-cell resolution. This approach enables real-time, individualized evaluation of metastatic potential, advancing precision diagnostics and therapeutic strategies for cancer management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":259,"journal":{"name":"Biosensors and Bioelectronics","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 118051"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145205137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yue Cao , Peng Ye , Xiaohan Yang , Ming Wu , Bo-Yu Chen , Yang Zhou , Jun-Jie Zhu
{"title":"Homo/heterojunctions engineering on hollow multi-shelled TiO2 with remarkable photocurrent for cytosensing and in-situ evaluation of EGFR","authors":"Yue Cao , Peng Ye , Xiaohan Yang , Ming Wu , Bo-Yu Chen , Yang Zhou , Jun-Jie Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118049","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118049","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Precise control over nanostructured scaffolds, such as hollow multi-shelled structures engineered to incorporate both homo- and heterojunctions, has been far less frequently mimicked. This study developed a sacrificial template method to synthesize hollow TiO<sub>2</sub> microspheres with a controlled number of shells and a closed, thin exterior shell. The rutile/anatase phases within the TiO<sub>2</sub> scaffold were regulated to form an optimized homojunction, followed by the in-situ growth of In<sub>2</sub>S<sub>3</sub> nanoplates to construct a heterojunction. Detailed investigations illustrated that the coupling of homo- and heterojunctions established a type-Ⅱ configuration with well-aligned band-edge levels. Furthermore, the increased charge carrier density, rapid charge migration kinetics, and large electrochemically active surface area collectively contributed to outstanding photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance. As a result, the final composite served as an effective matrix to fabricate a PEC sensing platform for cell assays, with a limit of detection of 117 mL<sup>−1</sup> (S/N = 3). A novel strategy was proposed for evaluating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on the surface of different cell lines, further achieving actual applications in drug screening and physiological monitoring. This study not only explores PEC substrates by precisely engineering hollow architecture and energy band configurations, but also develops promising strategies for cytosensing and protein subtype assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":259,"journal":{"name":"Biosensors and Bioelectronics","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 118049"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145204236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Weiya Wang , Jiadi Sun , Tao Wang , Jin Wu , Caihong Huang , Shang Wu , Yongli Ye , Yuan Peng , Dianpeng Han , Huanying Zhou , Zhixian Gao , Xiulan Sun
{"title":"A 3D-printed, self-driven microfluidic sensor chip for point-of-care testing (POCT) of norovirus","authors":"Weiya Wang , Jiadi Sun , Tao Wang , Jin Wu , Caihong Huang , Shang Wu , Yongli Ye , Yuan Peng , Dianpeng Han , Huanying Zhou , Zhixian Gao , Xiulan Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118048","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118048","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Early diagnosis of norovirus (NV) is critical for effective prevention and control of outbreaks. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-coupled isothermal amplification has been widely employed for the highly sensitive and specific detection of nucleic acids; however, optimizing the compatibility among multi-enzyme reaction systems remains a challenge. In this study, a compartmentalized, self-driven, 3D-printed microfluidic sensor device was developed for cascade isothermal amplification and CRISPR-mediated multistep reactions. This chip integrated the sample pretreatment process with glucose biosensing technology. By leveraging the digital quantification capability of a personal glucose meter (PGM) as an endpoint readout, the system detected NV nucleic acids with high sensitivity and specificity. A series of target RNA concentrations (0.1–10,000 fM) were quantified using the reverse transcription–recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA)-CRISPR sensing method developed in this study. The relationship was linear between the logarithm of the NV target RNA concentration (log C) and the corresponding fluorescence intensity. The RT-RPA-CRISPR assay was further engineered into a microfluidic chip-based point-of-care testing (POCT) system, and the limit of detection of NV was about 60 copies. This integrated approach facilitates field-deployable diagnostics of viral and bacterial pathogens.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":259,"journal":{"name":"Biosensors and Bioelectronics","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 118048"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145205144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Qiya Gao, Jiawang Wang, Fangying Xiong, Shouzhe Deng, Shuang Li
{"title":"Dual-signal electrochemical immunoassay based on PAMAM@MXene-modified electrode for simultaneous detection of S100B and NSE","authors":"Qiya Gao, Jiawang Wang, Fangying Xiong, Shouzhe Deng, Shuang Li","doi":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118047","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118047","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Elevated levels of S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) are frequently observed in patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI). Their combined quantification holds significant promise for early and accurate diagnosis. Here, we report a dual-signal electrochemical immunoarray based on poly(amidoamine)-grafted MXene (PAMAM@MXene) for the simultaneous detection of S100B and NSE. Dendritic PAMAM, rich in terminal amines, was covalently grafted onto conductive MXene, enhancing immunomolecule immobilization and electron transfer. The platform integrates two orthogonal signal readout strategies: square wave voltammetry (SWV) and chronoamperometry (I–t). Redox-active CS@MNPs–MB nanocomposites serve as SWV signal probes for S100B, while PdPtCu nanoalloys catalyze H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> decomposition to generate I–t signals for NSE. The two channels operate independently without mutual interference, enabling accurate, parallel quantification of both biomarkers. Both immunosensors exhibited excellent linearity from 1.0 pg/mL to 100 ng/mL, with high reproducibility, long-term stability, and selectivity. The limits of detection (LODs) were 3.4 × 10<sup>−3</sup> pg/mL for S100B and 4.5 × 10<sup>−3</sup> pg/mL for NSE. When applied to spiked artificial serum, the results strongly correlated with ELISA kits (R<sup>2</sup> > 0.997), and similar agreement was achieved in real clinical serum samples compared with the clinical gold standard. This dual-signal platform offers a modular and adaptable approach for multiplexed biomarker analysis in diverse clinical settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":259,"journal":{"name":"Biosensors and Bioelectronics","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 118047"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145197617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fully integrated wearable microfluidic device for molecularly imprinted electrochemical and cascade catalysis colorimetric analysis of cortisol and glucose in sweat","authors":"Yuhang Shen, Ziyi Mi, Xiaoya Hu, Yun Shu","doi":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118050","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118050","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wearable sensors enable non-invasive and continuous analysis of biological fluids and hold substantial significance for the realization of precise, real-time health management. In this work, a wearable microfluidic device was integrated with molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor and cascade catalysis colorimetric sensor for real-time monitoring cortisol and glucose in human sweat. The device could realize swift and efficient collection of sweat, which avoids the sweat evaporation and simplifies the sampling process. First, Prussian blue (PB) was embedded within the molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) layer and electropolymerized on the highly conductive metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived porous carbon nanorods (MCN) modified screen-printed electrode (SPE), and realizing highly sensitive and selective detection of cortisol with a wide linear range of 20–500 nM. Meanwhile, a Cu MOF/glucose oxidase (GOD) based nanozymatic-enzymatic cascade catalysis system was constructed in the multi-channel microfluidic chip for colorimetric detection of glucose with excellent sensitivity, selectivity, reproducibility, and stability. More importantly, the wearable sensor was utilized for real-time analysis of cortisol in volunteers’ sweat in the morning and evening, and glucose levels were measured pre- and postprandially with high accuracy. Overall, this wearable microfluidic device offers great potential in daily health management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":259,"journal":{"name":"Biosensors and Bioelectronics","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 118050"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145205134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jingzhe Zang , Tingting Wang , Fei Zhang , Mengxin Zhang , Mengmeng Chen , Kangbo Liu , Xianwei Zhang , Hong Qin , Ying Xu , Wancun Zhang
{"title":"Mitochondrial microRNA detection using a sequentially activatable allosteric DNA biosensor for in vivo molecular visualization of tumors and tumor drug resistance","authors":"Jingzhe Zang , Tingting Wang , Fei Zhang , Mengxin Zhang , Mengmeng Chen , Kangbo Liu , Xianwei Zhang , Hong Qin , Ying Xu , Wancun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118046","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bios.2025.118046","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of strategies that enable <em>in situ</em> detection of mitochondrial microRNA (miRNA) remains a significant challenge, as miRNA is widely distributed across various cellular compartments. Therefore, by utilizing the mitochondria-specific localization of cytochrome <em>c</em> (cyt <em>c</em>) as the targeting moiety, a sequentially activatable allosteric DNA biosensor (C-M-tFNA) was developed for the <em>in situ</em> detection of mitochondrial miRNA. In the first configurational change of C-M-tFNA, the interaction between cyt <em>c</em> aptamer-hairpin 1 (apt-HP1) of C-M-tFNA and cyt <em>c</em> triggers a conformational transition in apt-HP1 to HP1, thereby exposing the apurinic/apyrimidinic site (AP site) for cleavage by mitochondrial apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) and releasing a single-strand cyclic DNA (cyclic sequence). In the second configurational change of C-M-tFNA, the cyclic sequence can hybridize with the green loop on hairpin 2 (HP2) of C-M-tFNA in a circular manner, resulting in a second cleavage by APE1. Finally, in the third configurational change of C-M-tFNA, miRNA can specifically hybridize with the red loop of HP2, inducing a third cleavage mediated by APE1. This process effectively separates the fluorophore from the quencher in a circular manner, leading to the generation of fluorescence signal. Experimental results demonstrate that C-M-tFNA enables highly specific and sensitive <em>in vivo</em> imaging of mitochondrial miRNA. In particular, C-M-tFNA is capable of monitoring drug resistance in neuroblastoma <em>in vivo</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":259,"journal":{"name":"Biosensors and Bioelectronics","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 118046"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145197648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}