CdTe nanobioprobe based optoelectrochemical immunodetection of diabetic marker HbA1c

Highly luminescent water soluble CdTe quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized and conjugated with anti-HbA1c antibody to generate specific nanobioprobe. A sandwich immunoassay model was employed using capture HbA1c antibody as a specific receptor molecule and the QD-labeled secondary antibody as a dual (fluorescence cum electrochemical) tracer to quantify the concentration of HbA1c. A linear increase in current was observed for HbA1c analytical standards with a R2 value of 0.990 and coefficient of variance ∼5%. A comparison between HPLC and dual immunoassay for clinical samples showed a correlation coefficient of 89% and 96% for fluorescence and electrochemical detection methods respectively. The QD-based immunoassay shows great promise for rapid reproducible and cost effective analysis of HbA1c in clinical samples.