Real-time detection of Tau-381 protein using liquid crystal-based sensors for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis.

Tau is a protein found in the central nervous system (CNS) and is involved in stabilizing microtubules in axons. Given the link between Tau levels in the body and Alzheimer's disease (AD), there is a demand for straightforward and precise strategies to detect Tau in body fluids. In this study, we report liquid crystal (LC)-based sensors for the real-time detection of Tau protein, a well-known AD biomarker.

Sensitive detection of 17β-estradiol at a picomolar level using an aptamer-assisted liquid crystal-based optical sensor.

A liquid crystal (LC)-based aptasensor was developed that can detect 17β-estradiol (E2) at the picomolar level. This aptasensor is based on competitive reactions of the aptamer that interacts with cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and E2 at the aqueous/LC interface. The long alkyl chain of CTAB anchored the 4-cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) to a homeotropic state and controls the local anchoring depending on the extent of electrostatic interaction with the aptamer.