Electrochemical Sensing of Pancreatic Cancer miR-1290 Based on Yeast-Templated Mesoporous TiO2 Modified Electrodes

Electrochemical sensing is an effective, low-cost technology for cancer detection. In this study, mesoporous TiO2 was prepared via biomimetic synthesis based on yeast cell templates, and used to prepare a modified electrode for the sensitive detection of pancreatic cancer miR-1290. The structure and the morphology of the TiO2 were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm (NADI), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). As a sensing active material, the yeast-templated mesoporous TiO2 could detect pancreatic cancer miRNAs with single-nucleotide discrimination. The sample prepared by calcination at 400 °C showed the best electrochemical sensing activity. Moreover, compared with the blank electrode, the yeast mesoporous TiO2 sensing electrode could oxidize the pancreatic cancer microRNAs at a lower potential, which minimized the interference from oxygen evolution reaction at high potentials.