DNA origami signal amplification in lateral flow immunoassays

Ijäs, Heini; Trommler, Julian; Nguyen, Linh; van Rest, Stefan; Nickels, Philipp C.; Liedl, Tim; Urban, Maximilian J. (2025): DNA origami signal amplification in lateral flow immunoassays. Nature Communications, 16: 3216. ISSN 2041-1723

Abstract

Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs) enable a rapid detection of analytes in a simple, paper-based test format. Despite their multiple advantages, such as low cost and ease of use, their low sensitivity compared to laboratory-based testing limits their use in e.g. many critical point-of-care applications. Here, we present a DNA origami-based signal amplification technology for LFIAs. DNA origami is used as a molecularly precise adapter to connect detection antibodies to tailored numbers of signal-generating labels. As a proof of concept, we apply the DNA origami signal amplification in a sandwich-based LFIA for the detection of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in human serum. We show a 55-fold improvement of the assay sensitivity with 40-nm gold nanoparticle labels and an adjustable signal amplification of up to 125-fold with fluorescent dyes. The technology is compatible with a wide range of existing analytes, labels, and sample matrices, and presents a modular approach for improving the sensitivity and reliability of lateral flow testing.5).

• Dokumententyp: Artikel (LMU)
• DFG: Gefördert durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - 390776260
• DFG: Gefördert durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - 491502892