Multianalyte electrochemical sensor for biomarker detection of chronic lung diseases

Chronic lung diseases are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Patients suffering from these conditions experience a reduced quality of life, and the necessary treatments place a significant burden on the national healthcare systems. The development of new diagnostic tools, such as an electrochemical sensor can ensure rapid identification of these diseases in individuals who are particularly predisposed or at high risk of disease progression. The most important chronic lung diseases are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. In both cases, the progression of the disease is accompanied by the production of biomarkers that are useful in determining the advancement and severity of the condition. Studies over the years have shown that during the inflammatory state associated with these diseases, high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂, due to increased oxidative stress), elevated levels of uric acid (UA), and pH alterations in exhaled breath condensate are indicators of inflammation and airway damage. For these reasons, this study focused on the development of a multi-analyte electrochemical sensor capable of simultaneous detection and quantification of UA, H₂O₂ and pH levels. The development of an electrochemical sensor designed for the simultaneous detection and quantification of biomarkers associated with chronic lung diseases therefore represents a novel diagnostic tool that by complementing or even replacing traditional diagnostic methods, could reduce both the time and costs associated with biomarker measurement, paving the way for more effective precision medicine. The sensor proposed in this work was fabricated with three working electrodes modified through electrodeposition to ensure selectivity for each specific analyte, a counter electrode made of polyethylene terephthalate coated with a conductive layer of indium tin oxide (ITO-PET), and a reference electrode obtained using a silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) paste. In this work, preliminary results on the electrochemical detection of UA in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) were reported.