Progress in DNA-based hydrogels for biosensing

ABSTRACT

Hydrogels are significant hydrophilic materials with 3D polymeric network structures, which have received much attention in recent decades. DNA-based hydrogel materials have been widely used for tissue engineering, biosensors, bioanalysis, and clinical therapy on their excellent stability, bioanalysis, biocompatibility, and programmability. The addition of functional DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) sequences, such as DNAzymes or aptamers, are embedded in polymer networks, which expand the additional molecular recognition capabilities and sensibility of smart DNA hydrogels. In particular, targeting-responsive DNA hydrogels have attracted much attention and provided a portable, sensitive, selective, and visualised detection platform for biosensors. In this review, the latest applications of distinct types of DNA hydrogel biosensors for detection in various fields are introduced. Then, the prospects for future development trends and challenges of DNA-based hydrogel materials for biosensing are given.

KEYWORDS:

• DNA hydrogels
• biosensing
• detection
• smart hydrogels

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the support of the Science and Technology Department of Jiangsu Province key research and development projects (modern agriculture) [grant number BE2017317].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Jiangsu Provincial Key Research and Development Program [BE2017317].