Electrochemical Detection of dsDNA-Specific Antibodies.

Electrochemical biosensors have shown great promise as useful point-of-care tests since they operate on electronic circuits which can be miniaturized and whose readout process can be easily automated. Here, we describe a method for the electrochemical sensing of antibodies directed against double-stranded DNA (α-dsDNA), which are often present at higher-than-normal levels in the sera of autoimmune disease patients. The method can be easily implemented in any lab and requires little investment in equipment, namely a potentiostat.

An electrochemical biosensor for rapid detection of anti-dsDNA antibodies in absolute scale.

Autoimmune diseases are chronic inflammatory pathologies that are characterized by the presence of antibodies against the body's own epitopes in serum (autoantibodies). Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common autoimmune pathology characterized by the presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs). These include anti-dsDNA (α-dsDNA) antibodies, which are widely used for diagnosis and disease monitoring.