| Telomerase activity has been demonstrated in a wide variety of most solid tumors and considered as a wellknowncancerbiomarker.Thecommonlyutilizedmethodforitsdetectionispolymerasechainreaction(PCR)basedtelomericrepeatamplificationprotocol(TRAP).However,theTRAPtechniquesuffersfromfalse-negative resultscausedbythefailureofPCRstep.Moreover,itrequiresadvancedequipmentwithatediousandtimeconsumingprocedure.Herein,wepresentedaportablenitrocellulosepaper-basednanobiosensingplatformfor ultrafastandequipment-freedetectionoftelomeraseactivitybasedonasimplecolorimetricassaythatenabled naked-eyevisualizationofthecolorchangeinresponsetoenzymeactivity.Inthisplatform,hybridizationwas initiallyperformedbetweentelomerecomplementaryoligonucleotideimmobilizedongoldnanoparticles(GNPs) andtelomeraseelongatedbiotinylatedprobe.Thereafter,theassemblywasattachedonactivatedpaperstripvia avidin-biotininteraction.ThesignalamplificationwascarriedoutbyenlargementoftheattachedGNPsonthe paper strip, forming tightly compact rod-shaped submicron structures of gold representing a visual color formation.Thankstosignificantsensitivityenhancement,thecolorchangewasoccurredfordownto6cells,which canbeeasilyobservedbythenakedeye.DuetothedesiredaspectsofthedevelopedassayincludingPCR-free, low cost, simple, and high sensitivity, it can be used for evaluation of telomerase activity in cell extracts for future clinical applications. Furthermore, this design has the ability to be easily integrated into lab-on-chip devicesforpoint-of-caretelomerasesensing. |