Visual and colorimetric detection of microRNA in clinical samples based on strand displacement amplification and nanozyme-mediated CRISPR-Cas12a system

Limits of detection of 0.5 pM and 10 pM for miRNA-21 were achieved with colorimetric and visual readouts, respectively.

• A simple method using strand displacement and CRISPR-Cas12a amplification was developed for detecting microRNA related to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
• The method utilized Pt@Au nanozymes linked to magnetic beads for enhanced signal reporting.
• Strand displacement amplification converted a single microRNA input into a substantial output, increasing detection sensitivity by over two orders of magnitude.
• Quantitative detection of miRNA-21 was possible within a range of 1 pM to 500 pM.
• Validation of detection results was performed on 40 clinical serum samples, indicating effectiveness in real-world scenarios.
• The approach enabled visual diagnosis of HCC and differentiation of distinct clinical stages using colorimetric detection.

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