Czech and German Scientists Review the Development of Biosensors Targeting Thrombin
In a new review study, scientists from the University of Ostrava and the University of Regensburg summarize recent advances in innovative biosensors capable of detecting thrombin, a key blood protein, with extreme sensitivity. Thrombin not only plays a role in blood clotting, but may also indicate serious health conditions, from heart disease to cancer metastasis.
In a new review study, scientists from the Czech Republic and Germany describe the significant progress made in recent years in electrochemical biosensors designed to detect thrombin, a key protein that regulates blood clotting and may also signal serious disease. The study focuses primarily on MOF-based electrochemical aptasensors, biosensors that combine aptamers with modern porous materials known as metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs.
Aptamers play a central role in these technologies. They are short synthetic DNA or RNA strands that can bind very precisely to thrombin.
“They act like molecular ‘grabbers’ that firmly bind the enzyme and allow its detection. These aptamers are attached to metal-organic frameworks, which serve as crystalline porous scaffolds. Thanks to their large surface area, tunable functionality, and biocompatibility, MOFs provide stable anchoring for the aptamers, enhancing sensor sensitivity, while also enabling efficient electron transfer and effective signal amplification in electrochemical aptasensors,” explains Soodabeh Hassanpour Sheikhrajab from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava.
The review shows that combining aptamers, MOF materials, and advanced signal amplification strategies significantly improves sensitivity and expands thrombin detection capabilities compared with earlier approaches. These systems can detect thrombin at extremely low concentrations, often femtomolar concentrations, with much greater sensitivity than conventional laboratory tests. They use modern nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, gold nanoparticles, and DNA-based catalytic systems to amplify the signal and enable rapid and highly sensitive detection. Some platforms also combine electrical signals with visual readouts, making some results even visible to the naked eye.
The authors point out that rapid and precise thrombin detection could play an important role in the early identification of blood clotting disorders, stroke risk, or heart attack, and may also serve as an indicator of cancer. At the same time, they stress that further development must focus on easier operation, greater stability, and improved reliability if these technologies are to be widely adopted in routine clinical practice and portable diagnostic devices.
Updated: 30. 04. 2026
