Collaborative Research: Development of FBEP-enabled electrochemical sensors for heart failure monitoring

Heart failure affects millions of Americans and is a major cause of hospitalization, disability, and healthcare spending. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is widely used to diagnose heart failure, assess risk, and monitor treatment response, but current testing depends primarily on intermittent blood draws that provide only isolated snapshots of a changing disease state. More frequent measurements could reveal rising, falling, or rebound NT-proBNP trajectories and support earlier recognition of worsening heart failure or treatment response. This project will develop a less invasive wearable sensing approach for higher-frequency NT-proBNP monitoring in skin interstitial fluid. The project serves the national interest by advancing technologies for cardiovascular health, establishing broadly useful principles for continuous monitoring of protein biomarkers, and training students at the intersection of chemistry, electrochemistry, biointerfaces, and biomedical engineering. Project concepts and results will also be incorporated into undergraduate and graduate course modules and into educational and public outreach activities on wearable biosensors and heart-health monitoring that are open and available to all eligible participants. This collaborative project will establish an aptamer-based electrochemical platform that combines molecular-recognition engineering, electrically controlled sensing, and wearable microneedle technology. The research has three interdependent objectives. First, the team will develop and optimize NT-proBNP-binding aptamers with high affinity, selectivity, and stability in biofluids at physiological temperature. Second, the team will determine how Fast Biphasic Electric Pulse (FBEP) waveform parameters and electrochemical readout conditions control signal generation, interface recovery, and sensing bandwidth on standard screen-printed electrodes. These studies will define operating conditions for repeated NT-proBNP measurements at substantially higher temporal resolution than conventional affinity-sensing formats. Third, the optimized aptamer–FBEP sensing approach will be transferred to miniaturized microneedle sensors incorporating nanoporous gold electrodes and antifouling surface coatings, followed by testing in artificial interstitial fluid, serum, and pilot animal studies. The project is expected to produce an NT-proBNP monitoring platform and quantitative design rules for converting aptamer-based protein detection from endpoint measurement into reversible electrochemical continuous monitoring. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.