A Biosensor that has been proven capable of detecting molecules that lead to some types of cancer also some neurodegenerative diseases. On a glass slide, the a single layer organic nanometer scale transmitter is found on the device.
The biosensor contains a reduced form of peptide glutathione (GSH) which reacts in a specific way. This will happen when it comes into contact with the enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST), linked to Parkinson`s, Alzheimers and breast cancer among some other diseases.
The device could detect such molecules even when they`re present at very low levels that are found in examined material because of nanometric sensitivity. The system can be adapted to detect other substances in addition to portable and of low cost such as molecules linked to different diseases and elements in the contaminated material.
“This is the first time organic transistor technology has been used in detecting the pair GSH-GST, which is important in diagnosing degenerative diseases,” said Carlos Cesar Bof Bufon from National Nanotechnology Laboratory (LNNano) in Campinas, Brazil.
The focus is mainly on the development of care devices researchers in a range of knowledge areas with some functional materials to produce simple sensors and systems that are microfluidic for rapid diagnosis.
“Platforms like this one can be deployed to diagnose complex diseases quickly, safely and relatively cheaply, using nanometer-scale systems to identify molecules of interest in the material analysed,” Bufon explained in the paper published in the journal Organic Electronics.