Development of a Hyaluronic Acid Electrochemical Sensor

Osteoarthritis affects over 30 million adults a year, manifesting in joints such as those in the spine, knees, hands, and hips. One way to diagnose osteoarthritis is to analyze synovial fluid, however, the analysis is often time consuming and incomplete. Finding fast, reliable ways to analyze synovial fluid using electrochemical sensors would be beneficial. More specifically, studying hyaluronic acid, the primary biopolymer in synovial fluid, will lead to a more comprehensive understanding of diagnosis; the imbalance between hyaluronic acid breakdown and regeneration is a cause of osteoarthritis. We studied hyaluronic acid interactions with an elastin-like peptide monolayer on gold. This monolayer is designed to attract charged molecules, which could be useful in the design of an electrochemical sensor. We found that the hyaluronic acid does in fact bind to this elastin-like peptide, allowing us to begin designing a sensor. We are now using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to analyze the SAM on a gold screen printed electrode, which serves as a basis for sensor design.