Electrochemical Sensors for Cheap, Disposable Diagnostics

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

The electrochemical sensors developed in Ariel Furst’s lab consist of DNA adhered to an inexpensive gold leaf electrode, which is laminated onto a sheet of plastic. (Image: Courtesy of the researchers; edited by MIT News)

Using an inexpensive electrode coated with DNA, MIT researchers have designed disposable diagnostics that could be adapted to detect a variety of diseases, including cancer or infectious diseases such as influenza and HIV.

These electrochemical sensors make use of a DNA-chopping enzyme found in the CRISPR gene-editing system. When a target such as a cancerous gene is detected by the enzyme, it begins shearing DNA from the electrode nonspecifically, like a lawnmower cutting grass, altering the electrical signal produced.

One of the main limitations of this type of sensing technology is that the DNA that coats the electrode breaks down quickly, so the sensors can’t be stored for very long and their storage conditions must be tightly controlled, limiting where they can be used. In a new study, MIT researchers stabilized the DNA with a polymer coating, allowing the sensors to be stored for up to two months, even at high temperatures. After storage, the sensors were able to detect a prostate cancer gene that is often used to diagnose the disease.

The DNA-based sensors, which cost only about 50 cents to make, could offer a cheaper way to diagnose many diseases in low-resource regions, said Ariel Furst, the Paul M. Cook Career Development Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and the senior author of the study.

“Our focus is on diagnostics that many people have limited access to, and our goal is to create a point-of-use sensor. People wouldn’t even need to be in a clinic to use it. You could do it at home,” Furst said.

For more information, contact Ariel Furst at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..