Molecular imprinting based electrochemical biosensor for identification of serum amyloid A (SAA), a neonatal sepsis biomarker.

Neonatal septicemia is a bacterial infection in newborns. It is caused by bacteria including Escherichia coli and Group B Streptococcus (GBS). Neonatal septicemia is divided into early-onset and late-onset sepsis. The diagnosis of neonatal septicemia is a challenging task because of the presence of nonspecific symptoms. Biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and serum amyloid A (SAA) can help in the detection of sepsis at early stages. The level of biomarkers is elevated once sepsis occurs in the body. This study presents the development of an electrochemical biosensor based on nanomaterials integrated molecularly imprinted polymer technique. To obtain the synergistic effect and high conductivity, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), manganese oxide nanospheres (MnO2NSs), and cobalt oxide nanoparticles (Co3O4NPs) were coated over the screen-printed electrode (SPE). A further modification was done by polymerizing molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) specifically synthesized for SAA onto modified SPE. The performance of the designed platform was evaluated through electrochemical techniques. The operating range of the developed sensor was found to be 0.01 pM to 1 μM and 0.01 pM as the lower detection limit.