A Unified Computational-Experimental Paradigm for Rational Design of Next-Generation Electrochemical Biosensors: The IECM Framework
Electrochemical sensors face critical challenges in achieving ultra-high sensitivity and specificity within complex biological matrices. To address these limitations, this study proposes an Integrated Electrochemical Computational Model (IECM), a novel end-to-end framework that couples kinetics, electrochemistry, and signal amplification sub-modules to predict and optimize sensor performance. Unlike previous descriptive reviews, this work validates the IECM through rigorous experimentation using rGO/MXene/AuNP nanocomposite interfaces. The limit of detection (LOD) was determined based on the standard definition (3sigma/slope, where sigma is the standard deviation of the blank signal), yielding exceptionally low values of 0.12 fg/mL for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and 5.0 × 10⁻¹⁸ M for microRNA-21, with corresponding calibration curve slopes confirming high signal-to-noise ratios. In complex matrices such as serum and saliva, the sensor demonstrated robust anti-interference capabilities, achieving recovery rates of 92.0% ± 3.5% and cross-reactivity rates below 3.5%. Long-term stability tests indicated a signal retention of 68.7% after 8 weeks under moderate storage conditions. Furthermore, double-blind clinical trials against gold-standard assays revealed a high concordance rate (κ = 0.93), confirming the model's predictive accuracy and the sensor's clinical potential. This research establishes a unified computational-experimental paradigm for the rational design of next-generation biosensors.
Authors
- Tong’en Zhang
- Yuanyuan Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4811-3883)
- Zheng Wei
- Cong Yu
Institutions
- Henan Institute of Technology (CN)
- Henan Institute of Science and Technology (CN)
- Xinxiang University (CN)
- Henan Medical University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express
- Published
- 2026-05-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1088/2057-1976/ae6c2e
- Primary Topic
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00