In-situ and highly sensitive detection of epidermal growth factor receptor mutation using nano-porous quartz crystal microbalance

Assessment of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 mutations is very important indicator for treating lung cancer patients. In this report, we propose in-situ and highly sensitive detection method of EGFR mutation using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and nano-porous structured QCM electrode. The detection is based on the resonance frequency shift of QCM electrode upon DNA hybridization between probe DNA and EGFR mutant DNA (746-750 (del ELREA) in EGFR exon 19). Nano-porous structure is produced on the QCM electrode through simple processes of electrochemical deposition and etching. By using QCM, in-situ detection of EGFR mutation is performed within 30 mins. High sensitivity is achieved by introducing nano-porous structure on a QCM electrode, and the limit of detection (LOD) is 1 nM.