Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common chronic psychological disease, resulting in heavy family and social burdens. However, current diagnosis of MDD is mainly based on the patients' description of symptoms, assessment of mental status and evaluation of clinical behaviors, which is very subjective, increasing the rate of misdiagnosis. Developing biomarkers and effective diagnosis method of MDD remains a challenge. Here we report the development of a novel, inexpensive, and portable detector based on the paper strip biosensor to diagnose MDD objectively by detecting the amount of specific microRNAs in blood. The biosensor comprises cell free system and nucleic-acid toehold switch designed to bind to the identified differentially expressed biomarker miRNAs in the blood of MDD, namely miR-34a-5p, miR-221-3p and let-7d-3p. These miRNAs can trigger the expression of reporter proteins, which could be easily measured, making the objective diagnosis of MDD is possible.
Are you surffed from depression?
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According to WHO survey, the number of people suffering from major depression disorder (MDD) worldwide has reached 322 million, which means 4.3% of the world's population is affected. MDD is a serious problem for society. |
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MDD is a common emotional disorder and characterized by gloom, hypobulia, physical impairment, low mood, disproportionate situation, pessimism, world-weariness, and suicidal behavior. |
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The average age of such mental illnesses has long been declining, as more and more teenagers are suffering from these diseases recently. |
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MDD is a key factor for suicidal ideation and attempts, and the suicide rate in people suffering MDD is about 20 times that of the general population. |
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From the survey, 71.43% of respondents said they cared about the altitude of others, afraid of being looked down upon by others, amd 46.43% of respondents said it's shameful to be diagnosed with depression. |
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About 82% of people do not know that miRNA can be a markar for MDD diagnosis. |
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In order to facilitate early detection and diagnosis, we have designed a microRNA filter paper strip sensor based on cell-free expression system, which is simple and intuitive, and can diagnose MDD and potential individual. |