Enhanced Cervical Cancer Screening: A Sensitive Electrochemical Approach for HPV 18 L1 Protein Detection Using a Gold-Graphitic Carbon Nitride-Based Immunosensor

Cervical cancer remains a critical women health issue, predominantly driven by high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types, particularly HPV 16 and HPV 18. Late-stage diagnosis, often due to limited diagnostic tools and awareness, exacerbates the problem, especially in developing countries. Addressing these challenges, our study introduces an electrochemical sensor for the detection of HPV18 L1 protein for the first time. The sensor employs gold graphitic carbon nitride (Au-g-C₃N₄) nanocomposite platform with monoclonal antibodies immobilised via a drop-casting method. Detection of the HPV18 L1 protein is achieved using square wave voltammetry. The proposed immunosensor demonstrates a linear detection range (100 ag ml⁻¹ to 1 ngml⁻¹) for L1 protein with a low detection limit (35.16 ag ml⁻¹), and exhibits exceptional sensitivity, selectivity, reproducibility, and stability. Ultimately, this system has been effectively utilised for the identification of L1 in various positive and negative undiluted serum samples and was compared to ELISA for accuracy. The result showed that our electrochemical immunosensor is a promising tool for the reliable, rapid, and accessible detection of HPV18 L1, potentially enhancing cervical cancer diagnostics in clinical settings.