The biosensor can be used for medical diagnostics, as well as analyses of foodstuff, drugs and environment monitoring.
The technology developed by scientists of the General Physics Institute, RAS and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and based on magnetic nanoparticles will make biochemical blood test more precise, faster and as simple, as a pregnancy test strip. As the press service of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology reports, the method will enable doctors to measure concentration of proteinaceous molecules in various samples, including opaque and richly coloured liquids. The biosensor can be used for medical diagnostics, as well as analyses of foodstuff, drugs and environment monitoring" - the press release reads. Magnetic nanoparticles used in the work can connect to antibodies of various proteins. The biosensor looks like a test strip of porous material with two reaction lines - control and test ones. Tested liquid mixed with magnetic nanoparticles (they are already connected to antibodies and so can tie up the proteins needed) is placed on one side of the biosensor. The liquid flows on the plate and at first reaches the test line, which catches the particles connected with proteind, and then already free nanoparticles get to the control line. As a result, the control line works in any case, unless the biosensor is broken.
"Traditionally the tests, which can be carried out not only in laboratory conditions but even in field work are based on using fluorescent or coloured tags, and the results are established visually, by rule of thumb or with a video camera", - the press release cites Alexey Orlov, the leading author of the development and a research associate of the General Physics Institute, RAS . - "We use magnetic particles, which have essential advantage: with their help we can carry out the analysis by simply dipping a test strip into completely opaque liquid, that is measure substances right in the blood. Exact numerical measurement is carried out electronically by means of a portable device. The situations "maybe yes, maybe no" are absolutely ruled out".
Work Check Up
Along with high sensitivity the development has a large dynamic range: the upper threshold of the studied concentration exceeds the lower one by over 4000 times. Scientists checked up the work of the biosensor system by measuring concentration of prostate- specific anti-gene in blood. That is one of the markers most commonly controlled in medical examination of men.