A biolayer interferometry-based, aptamer–antibody receptor pair biosensor for real-time, sensitive, and specific detection of the disease biomarker TNF-α

Sensitive, specific, and rapid detection of the disease-specific biomarker TNF-α is desirable for achieving effective healthcare monitoring and disease diagnosis and prognosis. We have established a biolayer interferometry-based aptamer–antibody receptor pair biosensor for the rapid, real-time, automatic, and high-throughput monitoring of TNF-α. The developed biosensor exhibited a good detection range from 0.25 to 32 nM of TNF-α, with a detection limit of 0.0625 nM. The biosensor was used to analyze TNF-α in spiked human serum samples and high recovery percentages of 97.86% to 106.25%, and a low coefficient of variation ranges of 3.38% to 8.67%, respectively, were obtained, indicating good reproducibility and stability. In addition, based on the synergistic effect of the aptamer–antibody receptor pairing mode, the biosensor had satisfactory selectivity, which is critical for clinical applications. Therefore, the developed biosensor has the potential to be a robust, convenient, and cost-effective approach for the clinical detection of the biomarker TNF-α.