A Unified Sensor Architecture for Isothermal Detection of Double-Stranded DNA Oligonucleotides and Small Molecules

摘要

Pathogen detection is an important problem in many areas of medicine and agriculture, which may involve genomic or transcriptomic signatures, or small molecule metabolites. We report a unified, DNA-based sensor architecture capable of isothermal detection of double-stranded DNA targets, single-stranded oligonucleotides, and small molecules. Each sensor contains independent target detection and reporter modules, enabling rapid design. We detected gene variants on plasmids via a straightforward isothermal denaturation protocol. The sensors were highly specific, even with a randomized DNA background. We achieved a limit of detection of ~15 pM for single-stranded targets and ~5 nM for targets on denatured plasmids. By incorporating a blocked aptamer sequence, we also detected small molecules using the same sensor architecture. This work provides a starting point for multiplexed detection of multi-strain pathogens, and disease states caused by genetic variants (e.g., sickle cell anemia).