Graphene-oxide-microfiber aptasensor for dynamic neutrophil monitoring: Bridging cytokine release syndrome and point-of-care sepsis diagnosis
Abstract
Neutrophil granule release is critical for host defense, yet its dysregulation underpins cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in both acute (such as sepsis) and sustained inflammatory states. Distinguishing these phases requires real-time monitoring of early markers like neutrophil elastase (ELANE) and lactoferrin (LF), but conventional assays lack requisite sensitivity. Here, we developed a graphene-oxide-functionalized optical microfiber biosensor with high-affinity DNA aptamers (NE-AP and LF-AP) to quantify ELANE and LF via aptamer-protein binding-induced spectral red shifts. The sensor achieved ultralow detection limits (3.57 × 10⁻²⁰ M for ELANE and 1.28 × 10⁻¹⁹ M for LF), eight orders below ELISA, with excellent selectivity. In a lipopolysaccharide-induced murine model, it resolved distinct temporal release profiles of ELANE and LF, and in clinical validation, it showed distinct spectral responses between septic patients and healthy controls in a preliminary clinical cohort. This platform provides a highly sensitive, real-time tool for decoding neutrophil dynamics, with preliminary translational potential for early sepsis diagnosis.
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BibTeX
@article{yu2026grapheneoxidemicrofiber,
title = {{Graphene-oxide-microfiber aptasensor for dynamic neutrophil monitoring: Bridging cytokine release syndrome and point-of-care sepsis diagnosis}},
author = {Zhiheng Yu and Heshuang Dong and Xiaolin Chen and Mengjiang Xu and Ren Liu and Jingjing Wang and Cunliang Yang and Ke Wang and Xianyuan Zhao and Hao Jia and Jijun Feng},
journal = {iScience},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.isci.2026.117823},
url = {https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(26)03204-9},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Graphene-oxide-microfiber aptasensor for dynamic neutrophil monitoring: Bridging cytokine release syndrome and point-of-care sepsis diagnosis
AU - Zhiheng Yu
AU - Heshuang Dong
AU - Xiaolin Chen
AU - Mengjiang Xu
AU - Ren Liu
AU - Jingjing Wang
AU - Cunliang Yang
AU - Ke Wang
AU - Xianyuan Zhao
AU - Hao Jia
AU - Jijun Feng
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - iScience
DO - 10.1016/j.isci.2026.117823
UR - https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(26)03204-9
AB - Neutrophil granule release is critical for host defense, yet its dysregulation underpins cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in both acute (such as sepsis) and sustained inflammatory states. Distinguishing these phases requires real-time monitoring of early markers like neutrophil elastase (ELANE) and lactoferrin (LF), but conventional assays lack requisite sensitivity. Here, we developed a graphene-oxide-functionalized optical microfiber biosensor with high-affinity DNA aptamers (NE-AP and LF-AP) to quantify ELANE and LF via aptamer-protein binding-induced spectral red shifts. The sensor achieved ultralow detection limits (3.57 × 10⁻²⁰ M for ELANE and 1.28 × 10⁻¹⁹ M for LF), eight orders below ELISA, with excellent selectivity. In a lipopolysaccharide-induced murine model, it resolved distinct temporal release profiles of ELANE and LF, and in clinical validation, it showed distinct spectral responses between septic patients and healthy controls in a preliminary clinical cohort. This platform provides a highly sensitive, real-time tool for decoding neutrophil dynamics, with preliminary translational potential for early sepsis diagnosis.
SN - 2589-0042
ER -