This proof-of-concept electrical method detected cisplatin-DNA adduct formation on DNA-labelled microbeads. Quantification was demonstrated over 0.05-0.5 mM with a 0.05 mM detection limit. It avoids complex electrode modification, but its present sensitivity is insufficient for biological or clinical use.
Key findings
- Increasing cisplatin concentration was associated with a concentration-dependent fall in microbead crossover frequency. The conductance-derived peak frequency closely followed the crossover-frequency trend. Quantification covered 0.05-0.5 mM, with a detection limit of 0.05 mM, or 50 micromolar.
Why this matters globally
With substantially better sensitivity, specificity and compatibility with real biological samples, the platform could underpin rapid, lower-cost screening of DNA-adduct-forming compounds in toxicology and drug development.
Thai researcher contribution
Boonchai Techaumnat of Chulalongkorn University is the Thai-affiliated co-author in the team integrating dielectrophoresis with impedance spectroscopy, drawing on expertise in electric fields, microsystems and signal analysis.
Limitations to consider
This is a microbead model using cisplatin as a single model compound. It did not establish clinical-sample performance or orthogonally identify adduct chemistry. A 50 micromolar detection limit is too high for many biological settings, and complex sample matrices may alter the electrical response.