Abstract
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) remains a major concern for global health issues. Therefore, there is a vital requirement for quick, sensitive, and affordable diagnostic tools capable of detecting the virus early. Electrochemical biosensors have become promising alternatives to traditional diagnostic methods because of their high sensitivity, portability, and requirement for only small sample volumes. This work presents an integrated in-silico and in-vitro approach to develop an electrochemical HIV biosensor. It uses Mxene polymer nanocomposite interfaces to specifically detect the HIV-1 p24 protein biomarker. In-silico density-functional theory studies clarified the interactions among Mxene, polymer matrices, antibodies, and the HIV-1 p24 protein. The calculations indicate that the antibody-p24 complex's non-covalent binding nature and the stability of its immobilisation on the Mxene-polymer surface were determined. The antibody-p24 complex binds strongly to the Mxene-polymer substrate via electrostatic forces and hydrogen bonds, providing favourable electronic properties for electrochemical signalling.
The in-vitro experiments included synthesising Mxene and performing physicochemical analysis of the nanomaterial. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was utilised to analyse the morphology and structure of the nanomaterials, confirming the formation of layered Mxene nanomaterials. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was utilised to analyse the functionality of nanomaterials, revealing that they possessed the necessary features for biosensor interface development. UV-visible spectroscopy was used to determine the optical properties of the nanomaterials.
This study establishes a theoretical and experimental foundation for Mxene-based electrochemical biosensing for HIV by integrating computer simulation insights with material characterisation data, providing a strong foundation for the future...