Aptamer-based electrochemical biosensors for progesterone detection: Advancing point-of-care diagnostics.

Progesterone detection has emerged as a critical area in reproductive health monitoring, clinical diagnostics, and environmental analysis. While accurate, traditional detection methods often require complex laboratory setups and extended analysis times. Electrochemical biosensors have transformed point-of-care diagnostics by offering commercially accessible, highly sensitive, and specific detection methods. The advancement of biosensor technology addresses the growing demand for rapid, cost-effective, and accurate analytical tools that function beyond conventional laboratory settings. Among various biorecognition elements, aptamer short, single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules have emerged as promising alternatives to traditional antibodies and enzymes because of their high specificity, affordability, and batch-to-batch consistency. Electrochemical aptamer biosensors (E-ABs) utilize aptamer sequences tethered to a self-assembled monolayer on a gold electrode, facilitating efficient electron transfer upon substrate binding. This mechanism enables rapid and continuous signal transduction, making E-ABs well suited for detecting biomarkers in bodily fluids, with applications spanning clinical diagnostics and in vivo monitoring. The integration of aptamer-based electrochemical biosensing into point-of-care testing represents a significant step toward portable, multiplexed, and cost-efficient diagnostic solutions.