Nanomaterial- DNA Base Affinities: Towards Enhanced Biomarker Detection

Biomarkers are objective indicators of biological processes, playing a pivotal role in early disease detection and diagnosis. The integration of nanotechnology has significantly improved biosensor sensitivity and selectivity by utilizing nanomaterials ranging from 1nm to 100nm. Various nanomaterials, including ceramic, metallic, quantum dots (QDs), carbonaceous, core-shell, semiconductor, polymeric, and magnetic nanoparticles, are widely used in optical biosensors for biomarker detection. Additionally, emerging materials like ruthenium-functionalized cyclodextrin, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and graphene offer promising applications. Graphene-based electrochemical biosensors have proven highly effective in cancer detection, particularly in identifying genetic biomarkers linked to DNA mutations. Advanced techniques such as ICE nano-ESI MS facilitate precise lipid biomarker detection. Nanotechnology is transforming biotechnology and materials science by exploring interactions between DNA nucleotide bases and nanomaterials. This study examines the interactions of adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine with C20 fullerene and B40 borospherene using the Quantum ATK platform, computing adsorption energies to assess stability. Results indicate that guanine exhibits the highest stability with both nanostructures, followed by adenine, underscoring their potential in biosensing applications. These insights contribute to developing advanced biosensors and drug delivery systems crucial for early disease detection and personalized medicine. Special emphasis is placed on enhancing biomarker detection in resource-limited settings for improved global healthcare accessibility.