Coinfection of HIV/HCV is a significant public health issue globally, as it increases the risk of
liver cancer in co-infected individuals. The point-of-care testing (POCT) device for HIV/HCV
DNA detection is promptly needed for diagnosis and monitoring of the
disease progression. Here, the alternating-current electroluminescence (ACEL) technique is proposed as a sensitive POCT sensing platform for HIV/HCV
cDNA detection. A conductance-based light emission modulated by the hybridization between a pyrrolidinyl PNA probe and the
DNA target enabled the
DNA detection in a label-free format. Enhanced electroluminescence was observed in the presence of the target
DNA due to the increased
proton conductivity. Under the optimal conditions, the linearity range from 1 nM to 1 μM was achieved for HIV and HCV
cDNA with LODs of 1.86 pM (HIV
cDNA) and 1.96 pM (HCV
cDNA). The spiked HIV/HCV
cDNA in healthy human serum was successfully detected, demonstrating the feasibility of the developed device for the detection of
cDNA in real biological samples. Additionally, simultaneous HIV/HCV
cDNA detection on a single ACEL device employing a 2x2-array detection zone design. The cross-reactivity with other
viral DNA was shown to be minimal due to the high specificity of the PNA probes used. Finally, the negative and positive samples from the patient's serum were tested and the results were in 100% agreement with the commercial kit based-on real-time PCR method, thus illustrating the high sensitivity and specificity of the developed sensor.