To address the limitations of the CRISPR/Cas12f1 system in clinical diagnostics, which require the complex preparation of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or in vitro transcripts (RNA), we developed a fluorescent biosensor named PDTCTR (PAM-dependent dsDNA Target-activated Cas12f1 Trans Reporter). This innovative biosensor integrates Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) with the Cas12f_ge4.1 system, facilitating the direct detection of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). PDTCTR represents a significant leap forward, exhibiting a detection sensitivity that is a hundredfold greater than the original Cas12f1 system. It demonstrates the capability to detect Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) and Hepatitis B virus (HBV) with excellent sensitivity of 10 copies per microliter (16.8 aM) and distinguishes single nucleotide variations (SNVs) with high precision, including the EGFR (L858R) mutations prevalent in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Clinical evaluations of PDTCTR have demonstrated its high sensitivity and specificity, with rates ranging from 93%-100% and 100%, respectively, highlighting its potential to revolutionize diagnostic approaches for infectious diseases and cancer-related SNVs.This research underscores the substantial advancements in CRISPR technology for clinical diagnostics and its promising future in early disease detection and personalized medicine.

Lanthanide-doped core-shell nanomaterials have illustrated budding potential as luminescent materials, but their biological applications have still been very limited due to their aqueous solubility and biocompatibility. Here, we report a simple and cost-effective approach to construct a water-stable chitosan-functionalized lanthanoid-based core shell (Ca-Eu:Y2O3@SiO2) nanophosphor. The as-synthesized Ca-Eu:Y2O3@SiO2-chitosan (CEY@SiO2-CH) nanophosphor has been characterized for its structural, morphological, and optical properties, by employing different analytical tools. This sensing platform is suitable for dsDNA probing by tracing the \"turn on\" fluorescence signal generated by CEY@SiO2-CH nanophosphor with the addition of dsDNA. The ratio of fluorescence intensity enhancement is proportional to the concentration of dsDNA in the range 0.1-90 nM, with the limit of detection at ⁓16.1 pM under optimal experimental conditions. The enhancement in fluorescence response of functionalized core-shell phosphor with dsDNA is due to the antenna effect. Additionally, response of probe has been studied for the real samples displaying percent recovery in between 101 and 105, maximum RSD% upto 5.23 (n = 3). This outcome can be applied to the selective sensing of dsDNA through optical response. These findings establish the CEY@SiO2-CH a simple, portable, and potential candidate as a sensor for rapid and analytical detection of dsDNA.

A ratiometrically responsive sensor for dsDNA is reported, based on molecularly imprinted polymer coated quantum dots (MIP-QDs). A new platform is described for probing dsDNA by tracing the \"turn on\" fluorescence signal of malachite green (MG) as a cationic dye and \"turn off-on\" room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) signal of MIP-QDs/MG nanohybrids. The interaction between MIP-QDs surface and MG discloses an intense quenching in RTP (turning off) by a phosphorescence resonance energy transfer (PRET) process. After the addition of dsDNA, MG molecules escape from the MIP-QDs surface and intercalate into the dsDNA, resulting in the restoration of RTP intensity of MIP-QDs (turning on) and also enhancing in fluorescence of MG. This outcome hereby can be employed for the selective sensing of dsDNA via optical response. The ratio of fluorescence enhancement of MG to RTP intensity of MIP-QDs is proportional to the concentration of dsDNA in the range of 0.089-1.79 μg/mL with a detection limit (3σ/K) of 19.48 ng/mL under the optimized experimental conditions.

Here we have developed a novel method of isothermal amplification detection of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) based on double-stranded fluorescence probe (ds-probe). Target dsDNA repeatedly generated single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) with polymerase and nicking enzyme. The ds-probe as a primer hybridized with ssDNA and extended to its 5\'-end. The displaced ssDNA served as a new detection target to initiate above-described reaction. Meanwhile, the extended ds-probe could dynamically dissociate from ssDNA and self-hybridize, converting into a turn-back structure to initiate another amplification reaction. In particular, the ds-probe played a key role in the entire experimental process, which not only was as a primer but also produced the fluorescent signal by an extension and displacement reaction. Our method could detect the pBluescript II KS(+) plasmid with a detection limit of 2.3 amol, and it was also verified to exhibit a high specificity, even one-base mismatch. Overall, it was a true isothermal dsDNA detection strategy with a strongly anti-jamming capacity and one-pot, only requiring one ds-probe, which greatly reduced the cost and the probability of contamination. With its advantages, the approach of dsDNA detection will offer a promising tool in the field of point-of-care testing (POCT).

Due to the high importance of detecting DNA with both fast speed and high sensitivity, we proposed a new dsDNA detection method relying on a novel single-color fluorescence \"off-on\" switch system. Water-soluble glutathione capped CdTe QDs (emission at 605 nm) was prepared for taking advantage of the readily tunable emission property of QDs. Initially, QDs was completely quenched by the Ru(phen)2(dppz)(2+), as the spontaneous formation of QDs-Ru assembling dyads. Then, in the case of the addition of dsDNA, the Ru(phen)2(dppz)(2+) was removed away from the CdTe QDs, producing free CdTe QDs and the Ru-dsDNA complex. Both of them could be excited at the same wavelength and emit overlaid fluorescence. This single-color fluorescence \"off-on\" signal was sensitive to the concentration of dsDNA. Native dsDNA with the concentration of 10 pg/mL could be detected when 0.5 nM CdTe QDs was used, and ssDNA, RNA or BSA had no interference on it. With this system, the dsDNA samples of hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients were tested. The results were in good agreement with those detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR (P>0.05), and for those samples with very low DNA concentrations, this system could provide more accurate results, demonstrating the possible clinical applicability of this \"off-on\" switch system. For this system, chemical conjugation or labeling of probes is not required, and unmodified native DNA targets could be detected in less than half an hour. Therefore, a simple, fast, sensitive, low cost, highly selective and practically applicable detection system for dsDNA has been described.