Current disease diagnostics often rely on detecting millions of molecules to accurately identify infections or health conditions. This process can take days, delaying crucial interventions, and sometimes missing early-stage diseases. Additionally, traditional diagnostic tools struggle to detect small variations in proteins, which are essential for personalized treatment, and they can be affected by background noise from unrelated molecules.
Kevin Freedman and his team at the University of California, Riverside, have developed a revolutionary solution to these issues: a nanopore-based tool capable of detecting diseases at the single-molecule level. By using nanopores—microscopic holes that allow molecules like DNA or proteins to pass through—the system can detect even the faintest electrical signals caused by these molecules. This approach enables faster, more accurate diagnostics, with the potential to detect infections within 24 to 48 hours, a significant improvement over current methods that can take much longer.
Freedman’s technology works by measuring the reduction in ion flow as molecules pass through the nanopore. Unlike conventional sensors, which often require external filters that can remove valuable data, this system preserves the signal from each molecule, improving accuracy and enabling the detection of minor protein variations.
The long-term goal is to create a compact, portable diagnostic tool, potentially the size of a USB drive, that can be used to detect diseases within 24 to 48 hours. This tool is envisioned to play a crucial role in both viral infections and chronic conditions.
Article written by Azo Nano team
03/01/2025
Source:
Azo nano