Microneedle-Assisted CuNWs-MXene Heterostructure Enables Visualized Sub-Femtomolar Detection of Cervical Cancer miRNA

Abstract

Convenient monitoring and management of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia are critical for cervical cancer health management, yet accurate and sensitive quantification of low-abundance microRNAs in clinical formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues remains challenging due to inefficient extraction and complex workflows. Here we report an integrated biosensing platform that addresses these limitations through a copper nanowire-augmented MXene field-effect transistor (CuNWs-MC-FET) incorporating a flexible microneedle array for tissue processing and a visual interface for real-time monitoring. The CuNWs-MC-FET achieves 37.2% increased conductivity and 31.3% enhanced transconductance. The integrated microneedle array physically penetrates tissues to enable efficient miRNA enrichment from clinical specimens, while the visual interface facilitates dynamic -level monitoring and portable readout. The platform detects microRNA-21 from 1 fM to 1000 pM with a 0.23 fM detection limit, exhibiting excellent reproducibility and 30-day stability. Clinical validation using RNA from FFPE tissues discriminates CIN lesions from chronic cervicitis with high significance (p = 1.14 × 10⁻⁹), achieving 0.991 AUC with sensitivity and specificity exceeding 95.2%. This integrated materials-to-device paradigm enables visualized and efficient molecular profiling for precision health management of precancerous lesions.