Test strip breakthrough for accessible diagnosis
A team led by MOBIUS researchers at La Trobe University have developed a single-use test strip which could ultimately change how diseases like cancer are diagnosed.
The research, published in the journal Small, used enzymes to boost an electrical signal to detect disease-indicative molecules, also known as microRNAs.
The biosensor works in a similar way to glucose test strips but senior researcher Dr Saimon Moraes Silva said it was much more sensitive, detecting microRNAs in blood plasma at ultra-low concentrations that are up to a trillion times lower than glucose.
Senior researcher Distinguished Professor Brian Abbey said the biosensor could ultimately be used in a device allowing non-specialists to test for disease as needed, without the use of expensive, centralised laboratory infrastructure.
“It is exciting to be one step closer to disease diagnosis and monitoring that is truly point-of-need: affordable, convenient, accessible, and effective,” Professor Abbey said.
Special congratulations to MOBIUS affiliate PhD candidate Vatsala Pithaih (pictured) for her first, first-author publication; and to MOBIUS lead researchers Dr Saimon Moraes Silva, Distinguished Professor Brian Abbey, Professor Conor Hogan, Associate Professor George “Wren” Greene (La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS)), and Professor Chamindie Punyadeera (Griffith University Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics).