There has been a continuous effort
to fabricate a fast,
sensitive,
and inexpensive system for influenza virus detection to meet the demand
for effective screening in point-of-care testing. Herein, we report
a sialic acid (SA)-conjugated graphene field-effect transistor (SA-GFET)
sensor designed using α2,3-linked sialic acid (3′-SA)
and α2,6-linked sialic acid (6′-SA) for the detection
and discrimination of the hemagglutinin (HA) protein of the H5N2 and
H1N1 viruses. 3′-SA and 6′-SA specific for H5 and H1
influenza were used in the SA-GFET to capture the HA protein of the
influenza virus. The net charge of the captured viral sample led to
a change in the electrical current of the SA-GFET platform, which
could be correlated to the concentration of the viral sample. This
SA-GFET platform exhibited a highly sensitive response in the range
of 101–106 pfu mL–1, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 101 pfu mL–1 in buffer solution and a response time of approximately 10 s. The
selectivity of the SA-GFET platform for the H1N1 and H5N2 influenza
viruses was verified by testing analogous respiratory viruses, i.e.,
influenza B and the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV, on the
SA-GFET. Overall, the results demonstrate that the developed dual-channel
SA-GFET platform can potentially serve as a highly efficient and sensitive
sensing platform for the rapid detection of infectious diseases.