{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:18:47Z","timestamp":1760059127909,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,24]],"date-time":"2025-05-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1748044800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"AFRETEC network fund"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The world urgently needs new methods to quickly and efficiently detect mutated viruses. An RNA-AuNP-based colorimetric biosensor is a highly sensitive, specific, and cost-effective tool that enables rapid, visual detection of target molecules for applications in disease diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and forensic analysis. An RNA-AuNP-based colorimetric biosensor requires precise control over nanoparticle dispersion and aggregation, which can be achieved using temperature regulation. A novel on-chip microelectrode is proposed to induce and monitor the aggregation of RNA-attached gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) through Joule heating and impedance spectroscopy. The proposed platform is implemented based on printed circuit board (PCB) technology, which has many advantages, such as fast and easy design and fabrication, low power consumption, and low costs. Joule heating is the process in which the energy of an electric current is converted into heat as it flows through a resistance. Impedance spectroscopy is an analytical technique that measures a system\u2019s electrical response to an applied AC signal across a range of frequencies, providing insights into a sample\u2019s dielectric properties. The results validate that the fabricated microelectrode is capable of heating a 20 \u00b5L droplet to 75 \u00b0C within 30 s, utilizing a low power input of only 3.75 watts and successfully inducing a color change based on the presence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA, while impedance readings are used to monitor the aggregation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s25113312","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,25]],"date-time":"2025-05-25T20:26:50Z","timestamp":1748204810000},"page":"3312","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["A Novel Microelectrode Based on Joule Heating and Impedance Spectroscopy for Inducing and Monitoring the Aggregation of HCV-Specific Probes"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"25","author":[{"given":"Reda","family":"Abdelbaset","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomedical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Helwan University, Cairo 11795, Egypt"},{"name":"Center of Nanoelectronics and Devices, The American University in Cairo (AUC), Zewail City of Science and Technology, Cairo 11835, Egypt"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Omar E.","family":"Morsy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Nanoelectronics and Devices, The American University in Cairo (AUC), Zewail City of Science and Technology, Cairo 11835, Egypt"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mariam","family":"Hossam Eldin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Materials Science, Zewail City of Science and Technology, Giza 12578, Egypt"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5020-5563","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sherif M.","family":"Shawky","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Materials Science, Zewail City of Science and Technology, Giza 12578, Egypt"},{"name":"Department of Biochemistry, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University for Science and Technology, Giza 12566, Egypt"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yehya H.","family":"Ghallab","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biomedical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Helwan University, Cairo 11795, Egypt"},{"name":"Center of Nanoelectronics and Devices, The American University in Cairo (AUC), Zewail City of Science and Technology, Cairo 11835, Egypt"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yehea","family":"Ismail","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Nanoelectronics and Devices, The American University in Cairo (AUC), Zewail City of Science and Technology, Cairo 11835, Egypt"},{"name":"Electronics and Communication Engineering Department (ECNG), The American University in Cairo (AUC), Cairo 11835, Egypt"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dias, R.A. 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