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CRISPR/Cas13a-Powered Electrochemical Microfluidic Biosensor for Nucleic Acid Amplification-Free miRNA Diagnostics
Bruch R, Baaske J, Chatelle C, Meirich M, Madlener S, Weber W, Dincer C, Urban GA.. Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.), 2019-10-30
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Noncoding small RNAs, such as microRNAs, are becoming the biomarkers of choice for multiple diseases in clinical diagnostics. A dysregulation of these microRNAs can be associated with many different diseases, such as cancer, dementia, and cardiovascular conditions. The key for effective treatment is an accurate initial diagnosis at an early stage, improving the patient's survival chances. In this work, the first clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas13a-powered microfluidic, integrated electrochemical biosensor for the on-site detection of microRNAs is introduced. Through this unique combination, the quantification of the potential tumor markers microRNA miR-19b and miR-20a is realized without any nucleic acid amplification. With a readout time of 9 min and an overall process time of less than 4 h, a limit of detection of 10 pm is achieved, using a measuring volume of less than 0.6 µL. Furthermore, the feasibility of the biosensor platform to detect miR-19b in serum samples of children, suffering from brain cancer, is demonstrated. The validation of the obtained results with a standard quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction method shows the ability of the electrochemical CRISPR-powered system to be a low-cost, easily scalable, and target amplification-free tool for nucleic acid based diagnostics.
Key findings
- A dysregulation of these microRNAs can be associated with many different diseases, such as cancer, dementia, and cardiovascular conditions.
- With a readout time of 9 min and an overall process time of less than 4 h, a limit of detection of 10 pm is achieved, using a measuring volume of less than 0.6 µL.
- Furthermore, the feasibility of the biosensor platform to detect miR-19b in serum samples of children, suffering from brain cancer, is demonstrated.
- The validation of the obtained results with a standard quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction method shows the ability of the electrochemical CRISPR-powered system to be a low-cost, easily scalable, and target amplification-free tool for nucleic acid based diagnostics.
Why it matters
This work introduces a CRISPR/Cas13a-powered microfluidic electrochemical biosensor for detecting microRNAs without nucleic acid amplification, achieving a limit of detection of 10 pM, and demonstrates detection of miR-19b in serum from children with brain cancer. It notes microRNA dysregulation can be associated with diseases such as dementia, but the demonstrated application is brain cancer, so it reports no treatment, cure or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 50/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Advanced Materials: journal h-index 749 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2019 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 451 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 50.1 citations a year over 9 year(s) since 2019 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 16.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 160 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Gerald Anton Urban: h-index 51 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Imperial College London: institution h-index 1,744 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 31663165) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 50 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Bruch, R., Baaske, J., Chatelle, C., Meirich, M., Madlener, S., Weber, W., et al. (2019). CRISPR/Cas13a-Powered Electrochemical Microfluidic Biosensor for Nucleic Acid Amplification-Free miRNA Diagnostics. Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201905311
Vancouver
Bruch R, Baaske J, Chatelle C, Meirich M, Madlener S, Weber W, et al. CRISPR/Cas13a-Powered Electrochemical Microfluidic Biosensor for Nucleic Acid Amplification-Free miRNA Diagnostics. Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.). 2019. doi:10.1002/adma.201905311. PMID: 31663165.
BibTeX
@article{bruch2019-31663165,
author = {Bruch, R. and Baaske, J. and Chatelle, C. and Meirich, M. and Madlener, S. and Weber, W. and Dincer, C. and Urban, G. A.},
title = {{CRISPR/Cas13a-Powered Electrochemical Microfluidic Biosensor for Nucleic Acid Amplification-Free miRNA Diagnostics}},
journal = {Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1002/adma.201905311},
pmid = {31663165},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201905311}
}
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