Desenvolvimento de Genossensores para detecção do vírus da Hepatite Delta

Abstract

Biosensors are analytical instruments that allow identifying molecular interactions by converting them into detectable electrical signals. These devices contain biological components, such as enzymes, DNA, RNA, cells and oligonucleotides, with transducers such as electrochemical, optical, piezoelectric and calorimetric.

Its main characteristic lies in its ability to translate biochemical interactions into measurable electrical signals, being designed to meticulously monitor small variations during biological processes, such as interactions between different biomolecules. In the health sector, they are used in the precise detection of pathogens, tumors, toxins and biomarkers, contributing to early diagnosis of different conditions.

Biosensors stand out due to their low production cost, speed of response, portability, ability to quantify on small scales, high specificity and sensitivity. In this context, the doctoral thesis in question aimed to develop electrochemical and optical/colorimetric genosensors to detect the hepatitis delta virus.

The recognition of specific genomic RNA through indirect detection was evaluated using Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and molecular docking. The genosensor demonstrated effectiveness in detecting genomic RNA, with a linear range from 9 cylindrical mL-1 to 3 x 106 cylindrical mL-1, and a detection limit of 9 cylindrical mL-1, superior to the standard detection method, which presents a limit of 10 copies mL−1, according to the reference method (real-time PCR). EIS analysis revealed that the resistance current of the genosensor increased exponentially with the concentration of the genomic RNA target.

Key words: delta hepatitis, diagnosis, genosensor, methyl orange, optical and colorimetric biosensor