Real-time monitoring of PCR amplification of proto-oncogene c-MYC using a Ta2O5 electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor sensor

► Real-time monitoring of PCR via a Ta2O5 electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) sensor. ► Response of EIS sensor compares to standard SYBR-green. ► Possibility to detect DNA concentration variations of 30 mV/μM. ► Sensor for real-time PCR amplification of c-MYC gene comparable to standard real-time PCR. We present a new approach for real-time monitoring of PCR amplification of a specific sequence from the human c-MYC proto-oncogene using a Ta2O5 electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor (EIS) sensor. The response of the fabricated EIS sensor to cycle DNA amplification was evaluated and compared to standard SYBR-green fluorescence incorporation, showing it was possible to detect DNA concentration variations with 30mV/μM sensitivity. The sensor's response was then optimized to follow in real-time the PCR amplification of c-MYC sequence from a genomic DNA sample attaining an amplification profile comparable to that of a standard real-time PCR. Owing to the small size, ease of fabrication and low-cost, the developed Ta2O5 sensor may be incorporated onto a microfluidic device and then used for real-time PCR. Our approach may circumvent the practical and economical obstacles posed by current platforms that require an external fluorescence detector difficult to miniaturize and incorporate into a lab-on-chip system.