Graphene transistor integrated with insect olfactory receptor enables selective detection of small organic compounds

A research team led by the University of California, San Diego, has demonstrated the first direct integration of an insect olfactory receptor with a graphene field-effect transistor (gFET), creating a label-free biosensor capable of selectively detecting small organic compounds (SOCs) with high sensitivity.

The work centers on MhOR5, an odorant receptor from Machilis hrabei, which was produced at scale for the first time. The researchers obtained the protein in a stable tetrameric form with approximately 80% purity, maintaining structural integrity for up to 3 months under frozen storage. This stability enabled consistent device functionalization and testing. To translate biological recognition into an electrical signal, the team fabricated wafer-scale graphene transistors and subjected 6,655 devices to electrical screening, with more than 80% passing quality control in each batch. Each chip contained an array of fifteen graphene channels (100 × 10 µm), along with coplanar gate and sensing electrodes to ensure stable liquid-gated operation.

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