Electrochemical Biosensing of Cardiac Biomarkers

Electrochemical biosensors have emerged as a powerful tool for the rapid, sensitive and cost-effective detection of cardiac biomarkers associated with myocardial injury and heart failure. By converting specific biochemical interactions into measurable electrical signals, these devices enable quantification of proteins such as cardiac troponin I and T, B-type natriuretic peptide, creatine kinase-MB and myoglobin at clinically relevant concentrations. Advances in nanostructured electrode materials—including metal oxides, graphene derivatives and noble-metal nanoparticles—have driven improvements in surface area, electron transfer kinetics and biomolecular immobilisation. Immunoassay-based sensors exploiting antibodies or aptamers offer high specificity, while enzyme-free and molecularly imprinted polymer platforms reduce complexity and cost. Transduction techniques such as impedance spectroscopy, voltammetry and amperometry afford low limits of detection, rapid response times and compatibility with miniaturised, point-of-care formats. Ongoing challenges include multiplexed detection in complex biological fluids, standardisation of fabrication processes and integration with portable read-out electronics. The global significance of these sensors lies in their potential to deliver near-patient testing for early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, personalised risk stratification and real-time monitoring of therapeutic response.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated the viability of flexible, nanostructured electrodes for ultrasensitive detection of cardiac troponin T. In one approach, zinc oxide nanostructures were grown on porous polymer substrates to create mechanically robust electrochemical sensors. Monoclonal antibodies were immobilised via thiol chemistry, and non-faradaic impedance measurements in serum achieved detection limits down to the low picogram-per-millilitre range. The flexible format maintained performance after repeated bending cycles, highlighting the promise of wearable or disposable platforms for point-of-care cardiac monitoring.

Electrochemical Biosensing of Cardiac Biomarkers publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrochemical biosensing of cardiac biomarkers across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS): A technique that measures the resistance and capacitance of an electrode interface over a range of frequencies to monitor biomolecular binding.

Aptamer: A short, single-stranded nucleic acid selected for high-affinity binding to a specific target molecule, used as a recognition element in biosensors.

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs): Nanoscale fragments of graphene with tunable electronic and surface properties, employed to enhance sensitivity and electron transfer.

Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP): A synthetic receptor formed by polymerising monomers around a template molecule, creating selective binding sites after template removal.

Non-faradaic detection: Measurement of changes in interfacial capacitance or impedance without relying on redox reactions of the target analyte.

Limit of detection (LOD): The lowest concentration of an analyte that can be reliably distinguished from the blank signal with a defined level of confidence.

References

1. Graphene Quantum Dots-Based Electrochemical Biosensing Platform for Early Detection of Acute Myocardial Infarction. Biosensors (2022).
2. Enzyme-Free Electrochemical Nano-Immunosensor Based on Graphene Quantum Dots and Gold Nanoparticles for Cardiac Biomarker Determination. Nanomaterials (2021).
3. An ultrasensitive electrochemical sensing platform for the detection of cTnI based on aptamer recognition and signal amplification assisted by TdT. RSC Advances (2020).