Analytical performance of and real sample analysis with an HBV gene visual detection chip.

A novel hepatitis B virus (HBV) gene detection chip has been developed. The HBV-specific probes immobilized on glass slides were hybridized with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of different serum samples. The hybridization signal can be easily visualized upon a sandwich assay with nanoparticle amplification. The analytical performance (e.g., specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy) of this method has been evaluated. The chip-based detection method possesses a greater sensitivity and a better reproducibility than some of the conventional immunological or molecular biological methods (e.g., enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA) and is simple, cost-effective, and highly selective.