Babies born prematurely may have difficulty with breathing and nutrition intake because many of their organs are less developed. In particular, childbirth before 32 weeks is known to fatally affect newborn survival and growth. Therefore, when signs of an impending premature birth are observed, delaying delivery through appropriate treatment is critical in the health and quality of life of mothers and newborns. In a previous study, above average concentrations of interleukin (IL) 13 were found to increase the likelihood of premature birth. Therefore, we fabricated anti IL-13 antibody-conjugated graphene field-effect transistor (Immuno field-effect transistor, ImmunoFET) to detect IL-13 protein, specifically. In detail, the response of the ImmunoFET to the target was highly sensitive and dose-dependent with the detection limit of 15 pg mL−1. Moreover, selectivity tests were performed to demonstrate the interference effects of IL-6 and IL-17, other cytokines associated with premature birth. Despite the existence of high concentrations of nontargets, our sensor was able to detect the target selectively. To the best of our knowledge, this platform is the first ImmunoFET to detect IL-13 based on a graphene field-effect transistor. Our newly fabricated device can be a great diagnostic tool for the preterm birth.

Keywords: Premature birth, Biosensor, Field-effect transistor, Nanotechnology