Toward the Development of an Electrochemical Aptamer-Based Sensor for Preterm Birth Biomarker, Interleukin-6

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Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of death in newborns and children under the age of five. While certain cytokines, like interleukin-6 (IL-6) are known to facilitate the degradation of the fetal membrane, the mechanisms that result in fetal membrane rupture under both normal and pathological conditions are largely unknown. Electrochemical sensors for cytokines can provide further insight into the mechanisms underlying PTB by offering low-level protein biomarker quantification.Electrochemical aptamer-based (EAB) sensors afford advantages like rapid and sensitive detection, reagentlesssignaling, easy fabrication, and reusability. The aptamer is typically modified with a reversible electrochemical tag, methylene blue, to allow for electrochemical detection without addition of labeling reagents to the sample, a quality often referred to as reagentless, and with a C6-thiol to allow for ease of fabrication. However, the development of new aptamer-based sensors for clinically relevant targets faces several challenges that limit their widespread application. The primary challenge in the development of an IL-6 EAB sensor involves the absence of signal change upon aptamer–IL-6 binding, possibly due to an absence in conformational change. Current strategies to improve sensor performance include sensor interrogation via an in solution redox couple to remove the need of conformational change.