A cascaded signal amplification strategy combining Au@Cu₂O core-shell nanozymes and CRISPR-Cas12a self-cycling for ultrasensitive colorimetric detection of miRNA-21.

Authors

Jiaxin Li, Mingjia Yuan, Xueting Cui, Yingqiao Ding, Mengliu Yang, Rui Liu, Ling Li

Published in

Analytica chimica acta. Volume 1421. Pages 345987. Nov 01, 2026. Epub Jul 23, 2026.

Abstract

As a critical biomarker for early-stage tumor diagnosis, miRNA-21 poses significant challenges for colorimetric detection due to its ultra-low physiological abundance and high sequence homology. In this study, a multi-stage cascade amplification sensing platform was engineered by integrating an entropy-driven molecular circuit with a heterogeneous nanozyme catalytic network. The platform utilizes Catalytic Hairpin Assembly (CHA) for initial signal transduction, coupled with a CRISPR-Cas12a positive feedback self-cycling system to achieve exponential signal amplification. At the signal output interface, Au@Cu₂O core-shell nanocomposites, synthesized via epitaxial growth, exhibit significantly enhanced peroxidase-like activity through interfacial electronic coupling. Experimental results demonstrate a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 1.39 fM, with the capacity to precisely discriminate between serum samples from lung cancer patients and healthy individuals.

PMID:
42702425
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 07 Sep 2026.

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