Molecular Recognition and Quantification of HER-3, HER-4 and HRG-α in Whole Blood and Tissue Samples Using Stochastic Sensors

Abstract

Human epidermal growth factor receptor-3, human epidermal growth factor-receptor-4, and heregulin-α are some of the biomarkers related to gastric cancer currently being used for early detection, personalized treatment, and evaluation of the efficiency of the treatment. Two stochastic sensors based on graphene decorated with TiO2 and/or Au modified with maltodextrin were proposed for the screening of two types of whole blood and tissue samples for the simultaneous recognition and analysis of the three biomarkers. The sensitivity of the two sensors showed high values, whereas the limits of determination were of fg mL−1 magnitude order. Thus, the proposed screening method can perform the quantitative analysis of both of the biomarkers of interest in whole blood and tissue samples, with recoveries higher than 96.00% and relative standard deviations lower than 1.00%.