New Uses for the Personal Glucose Meter: Detection of Nucleic Acid Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer Screening

Abstract

A personal glucose meter (PGM)-based method for quantitative detection of a urinary nucleic acid biomarker in prostate cancer screening, the so-called PCA3, is reported herein. A sandwich-type genoassay is conducted on magnetic beads to collect the target from the sample by specific hybridization, making the assay appropriate for PCA3 detection in biological fluids. The success of the method hinges on the use of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) to link the amount of nucleic acid biomarker to the generation of glucose. In particular, specifically attached ALP molecules hydrolyze D-glucose-1-phosphate into D-glucose, thus enabling the amplification of the recorded signal on the personal glucose meter. The developed genoassay exhibits good sensitivity (3.3 ± 0.2 mg glucose dL−1 pM−1) for PCA3, with a dynamic range of 5 to 100 pM and a quantification limit of 5 pM. Likewise, it facilitates point-of-care testing of nucleic acid biomarkers by using off-the-shelf PGM instead of complex instrumentation involved in traditional laboratory-based tests.

Nucleic Acid Tests for Clinical Translation

“…In general, aptamers and ribozymes are two types of nucleic acid recognition elements for non-nucleic acid biomarkers. In this section, we mainly introduce nucleic acid recognition elements for the detection of small molecules, ,,− proteins, ,,− cells, and metal ions ,− based on aptamers and ribozymes (Figure ).…”

Aptamer‐based biosensors and application in tumor theranostics

“…16 Based on the characteristics of rapid response and portability, biosensors using enzymes as identification elements have been used for immediate detection of tumor patients, such as detecting circulating tumor cells, prostate antigen, etc. 17,18 However, enzymes are sensitive to temperature and pH, having a short shelf life. For antibody sensors, the generation and characterization of new antibodies are time consuming and difficult, 19,20 such as induction by target preparations, animal immunity, antibody purification, and other operations are complicated and require time and material costs.…”

“…For example, Li et al used aptamers and nanomaterials to assemble fluorescent aptasensors to detect tumor‐associated proteins on exosomes derived from prostate cancer and breast cancer, and successfully used them in the clinical differentiation of healthy specimens from tumor specimens with the advantage of high sensitivity 16 . Based on the characteristics of rapid response and portability, biosensors using enzymes as identification elements have been used for immediate detection of tumor patients, such as detecting circulating tumor cells, prostate antigen, etc 17,18 . However, enzymes are sensitive to temperature and pH, having a short shelf life.…”

Giving New Uses to Glucose Meters: Detection of Prostate Cancer

“…In this sense, the personal glucose meter (PGM), the most used (electro)analytical method worldwide that satisfies all the requirements demanded from POCT devices, has been employed for the detection of many other targets [1]. Following this trend, we have recently reported on the conversion of the PGM into an electrochemical transducer of hybridization events for monitoring a nucleic acid approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a urinary biomarker for prostate cancer diagnosis, the so-called PCA3 [2]. Herein, we discuss different approaches evaluated and highlight the main achievements.…”