Cell-inspired sensor paves way to real-time health
A team led by MOBIUS researchers at La Trobe University has drawn inspiration from nature to develop a breakthrough sensor that can rapidly track tiny molecular changes in blood, paving the way to real-time, personalised medicine.
The discovery overcomes one of the biggest barriers in blood testing: that blood quickly clogs most sensors, making accurate instant readings almost impossible over long periods of time.
Working in collaboration with CSIRO, the team combined a natural protective coating called lubricin, fast-responding receptors and an ultra‑sensitive, light‑based detection method known as Surface‑Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) to mimic the way real cell surfaces protect themselves and sense molecules.
In a world-first, the team used SERS to detect the antibiotic Vancomycin in unprocessed blood samples without any loss in sensitivity over more than 10 hours of continuous exposure.
“Blood is one of the hardest substances to measure anything in,” La Trobe University Associate Professor and research lead Wren Greene said.
“The secret to our sensor is its cell-like structure which filters the molecules from blood, enabling ultra-sensitive SERS detection.”
Research co-leader Dr Mingyu Han from CSIRO said other sensors had detected Vancomycin but this was 100 million times more sensitive, making it the first practical, real-time SERS sensor capable of working inside a fluid like blood.
“It solves long-standing challenges in sensitivity, response speed and surface fouling, opening the door to real-time molecular monitoring for personalised medicine,” Dr Han said.