Designing an Aptamer-Based Biosensor for Screening of Salivary Biomarkers for Oral Disease

Objectives: Saliva offers a multitude of advantages as a diagnostic fluid as it contains various proteins, hormones, and mRNA in free form that can provide valuable insights into the physiological state and health condition of an individual. Salivary diagnostics for oral cancer hold great promise due to the direct exposure of saliva to premalignant or malignant lesions in the oral cavity. Our objective is to design and fabricate aptamer-based electrochemical microfluidic biosensor for multiplex screening of salivary biomarkers associated with oral diseases.
Methods: To meet the objective a 3D printed mold is designed to fabricate epoxy-embedded multiple electrodes integrated into a PDMS-based microfluidic device. Aptamers are used to detect saliva biomarkers. Actigraphy and NIH-PROMIS validated surveys are used to collect circadian hpysiology traits and patient reported outcomes.
Results: We established a colorimetric assay for the rapid detection of salivary melatonin utilizing aptamer-AuNPs. Moreover, our assay showed preferential interaction with melatonin and other saliva biomarkers such as cortisol. We also performed a clinical study where biological biomarkers measurments were linked to clinical information collected by actigraphy and patient reported outcomes.
Conclusions: The developed colorimetric assay could be adapted in a point-of-care system for profiling salivary biomarkers levels at multiple time points during 24 h, crucial for accurately diagnosing and monitoring circadian rhythm sleep disorders and beyond. This study advances the field of saliva diagnostics.