An isothermal single base extension based lateral flow biosensor and electrochemical assay for gene point mutation detection

Gene point mutations are commonly associated with the development of cancer and other diseases. The rapid and accurate detection of mutation is increasingly needed in personalized therapeutic regimes. In this proof-of-concept study, an isothermal single base extension (SBE) reaction was developed for the simple and fast amplification of mutations. Combined with a lateral flow biosensor and electrochemical assay, a limit of detection of 1 nM and 1 pM were achieved, respectively. Compared with traditional PCR-based assays, this approach is faster, simpler and more cost-effective. Furthermore, the reduced experimental requirements enable its integration with portable micro-fluidic devices, forming a simple and automatic point of care device for point mutation detections.