In-situ and highly sensitive detection of epidermal growth factor receptor mutation using nano-porous quartz crystal microbalance

Assessment of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 mutations is very important indicator for treating lung cancer patients. In this report, we propose in-situ and highly sensitive detection method of EGFR mutation using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and nano-porous structured QCM electrode. The detection is based on the resonance frequency shift of QCM electrode upon DNA hybridization between probe DNA and EGFR mutant DNA (746–750 (del ELREA) in EGFR exon 19). Nano-porous structure is produced on the QCM electrode through simple processes of electrochemical deposition and etching. By using QCM, in-situ detection of EGFR mutation is performed within 30 mins. High sensitivity is achieved by introducing nano-porous structure on a QCM electrode, and the limit of detection (LOD) is 1 nM.