Electrode and use thereof

1. An electrode for use in the electrochemical detection of a target species, the electrode comprising:

a planar surface having probe molecules disposed thereon, in which the probe molecules are capable of electrochemically detecting a target species comprising C reactive protein by binding selectively to the target species, wherein the electrode, prior to binding of the probe molecules with the target species, has an electron transfer resistance per area of the electrode of from 10 megaohms cm −2 to 95 megaohms cm −2 .

2. An electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the probe molecules comprise at least one of: antibodies or antibody fragments.

3. An electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode prior to binding of the probe molecules with the target species has an electron transfer resistance per area of the electrode of from 55 megaohms cm −2 to 95 megaohms cm −2 .

4. An electrode for use according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of: gold, rhenium, iridium, palladium, platinum, copper, indium, rubidium silver, and combinations thereof.

5. An electrode according to claim 1 , wherein the probe molecule is of the formula A-L-B, where A is a moiety that binds to the surface of the electrode, L is a linker moiety and B is a moiety which binds selectively to the target species.

6. An electrode according to claim 5 , wherein A is selected from the group consisting of: biotin, hydrazine, alkynyl, alkylazide, amino, hydroxyl, carboxy, thiol, aldehyde, phosphoinothioester, maleimidyl, succinyl, succinimidyl, isocyanate, ester, strepavidin, avidin, neuavidin, biotin binding proteins, and combinations thereof.

7. An electrode according to claim 5 , wherein B is selected from the group consisting of: an antibody, an antibody fragment, an aptamer, an oligosaccharide, a peptide, a protein and combinations thereof.

8. An electrode for the use in the electrochemical detection of a target species, the electrode comprising:

a planar surface having probe molecules disposed thereon, in which the probe molecules are capable of electrochemically detecting a target species by binding selectively to the target species, wherein the electrode, prior to binding of the probe molecules with the target species, has a electron transfer resistance per area of the electrode of from 10 megaohms cm −2 to 95 megaohms cm −2 ;

wherein the probe molecule is of the formula A-L-B, where A is a moiety that binds to the surface of the electrode, L is a linker moiety and B is a moiety which binds selectively to the target species, and L comprises an alkylene moiety comprising at least 10 carbons.

9. An electrode for use in the electrochemical detection of a target species, the electrode comprising:

a planar surface having probe molecules disposed thereon, in which the probe molecules are capable of electrochemically detecting a target species by binding selectively to the target species, wherein the electrode, prior to binding of the probe molecules with the target species, has an electron transfer resistance per area of the electrode of from 10 megaohms cm −2 to 95 megaohms cm −2 ;

wherein the probe molecule is of the formula A-L-B, where A is a moiety that binds to the surface of the electrode, L is a linker moiety and B is a moiety which binds selectively to the target species, and L comprises and alkylene moiety comprising at least 10 carbons in which L is of the formula —(CH 2 ) n —(—O—CH 2 —CH 2 ) m -D-, wherein n is from 1 to 30 and m is from 0 to 10 and D is a group that binds to B.

10. A method for detecting a target species in an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique, wherein the method comprises:

contacting an electrode with a carrier medium comprising a target species having C-reactive protein in which the electrode comprises a planar surface having probe molecules disposed thereon which are capable of electrochemically detecting the target species via selectively binding to the target species, wherein the electrode, prior to selective binding of the probe molecules with the target species, has an electron transfer resistance per area of the electrode of from 10 megaohms cm −2 to 95 megaohms cm −2 ; and

detecting an electrical signal at the electrode to electrochemically detect the target species.

11. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the carrier medium comprises a biological fluid.

12. A method according to claim 11 , wherein the biological fluid is selected from the group consisting of: blood, urine, tears, saliva, sweat, cerebrospinal fluid, and combinations thereof.

13. A method according to claim 11 , wherein the biological fluid is an undiluted biological fluid.

14. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the carrier medium further comprises a redox probe.

15. A method according to claim 10 , the method additionally comprising:

after contacting the electrode with the carrier medium comprising the target species to result in the target species being bound to the probe molecules, dissociating the target species from the probe molecules.

16. A method according to claim 15 , the method further comprising:

after dissociating the target species from the probe molecules, reusing the electrode in an electrochemical method.

17. A method for detecting a target species in an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique, wherein the method comprises:

contacting an electrode with a carrier medium comprising a target species, in which the electrode comprises a planar surface having a probe molecules disposed thereon which are capable of electrochemically detecting the target species via selectively binding to the target species, wherein the electrode, prior to selective binding of the probe molecules with the target species, has an electron transfer resistance per area of the electrode of from 10 megaohms cm −2 to 95 megaohms cm −2 ;

detecting an electrical signal at the electrode to electrochemically detect the target species; and

calculating a concentration of C-reactive protein from the electrical signal.