Ultrasensitive CCL2 Detection in Urine for Diabetic Nephropathy Diagnosis Using a WS<sub>2</sub>-Based Plasmonic Biosensor
Shuangshuang Gao, Huili Li, Lixuan Liu, Yiming Tian, Rui Wang, Xuanlin Pan, Fusheng Wen, Jianyong Xiang, Anmin Nie, Kun Zhai, Bochong Wang, Congpu Mu, Tianyu Xue, Zhongyuan Liu
Abstract
The accurate diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy relies on achieving ultrasensitive biosensing for biomarker detection. However, existing biosensors face challenges such as poor sensitivity, complexity, time-consuming procedures, and high assay costs. To address these limitations, we report a WS 2 -based plasmonic biosensor for the ultrasensitive detection of biomarker candidates in clinical human urine samples associated with diabetic nephropathy. Leveraging plasmonic-based electrochemical impedance microscopy (P-EIM) imaging, we observed a remarkable charge sensitivity in monolayer WS 2 single crystals. Our biosensor exhibits an exceptionally low detection limit (0.201 ag/mL) and remarkable selectivity in detecting CC chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) protein biomarkers, outperforming conventional techniques such as ELISA. This work represents a breakthrough in traditional protein sensors, providing a direction and materials foundation for developing ultrasensitive sensors tailored to clinical applications for biomarker sensing.