Impact of molecularly imprinted polymers on graphene oxide-coated screen-printed electrodes for selective immune-sensing of gastric cancer-causing bacteria Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection continues to be a major public health issue worldwide. The prevalence of H. pylori infection exceeds 50 % worldwide and reaches 70–80 % in developing countries because of inadequate sanitation and restricted healthcare services. The gram-negative bacterium H. pylori hold Group 1 carcinogen status according to the World Health Organization (WHO) because it directly causes chronic gastritis, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), peptic ulcer disease, and gastric adenocarcinoma. This calls for an immediate need for better diagnostic approaches. The gastric mucosa colonization of the bacterium depends on outer membrane proteins, including BabA, OipA, and SabA, which facilitate both adhesion and pathogenicity. The current diagnostic approaches, including biopsy, histology, endoscopy, fecal antigen tests, ELISA, serology, western blotting, urea breath tests, and PCR, face challenges related to complexity, high costs, and low sensitivity. The development of electrochemical biosensors represents a promising diagnostic solution because they provide fast results at affordable prices and portable devices for on-site testing. The incorporation of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as synthetic receptors with predefined recognition sites for target analytes improves both selectivity and stability of these biosensing platforms. The research introduces an innovative electrochemical biosensor system that detects BabA antibodies (BabA-Ab), which serve as important immunological indicators of H. pylori infection. The sensor platform consists of graphene oxide (GO) that integrates with a BabA-Ab-imprinted polymer matrix. A non-imprinted polymer (NIP) sensor device was constructed simultaneously with the BabA-Ab-imprinted polymer sensor to function as a control reference. The research demonstrates how GO/MIP-based electrochemical sensors can function as advanced clinical diagnostic instruments for fast and precise medical testing.