Microfabricated disposable DNA sensor for detection of hepatitis B virus DNA

The authors report here a preliminary evaluation of a microfabricated disposable-type DNA sensor, based on photolithography technique, for the detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome DNA. The DNA sensor was reacted with the HBV-DNA-inserted plasmid (pYRB259), immersed in a 100 mu mol/l Hoechst 33258 solution and washed with a phosphate buffer. The electrochemical analysis showed that the anodic peak current derived from Hoechst 33258 bound to the formed hybrids on the electrode was increased with increasing the concentration of pYRB259 in the range from 10(4) to 10(6) copy/ml. Then, the authors evaluated the concentration of HBV-DNA extracted from patients' sera using a DNA sensor and competitive polymerase chain reaction (C-PCR). A correlation coefficient of 0.89 was obtained between the two assay methods. The variance for each sample in triplicate measurements ranged from 2 to 6% in the inter-assay using the DNA. sensor. These results suggest that the microfabricated disposable DNA sensor can provide a specific and quantitative detection of HBV-DNA in sera. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.