Moreover,
50 cents sensor can detect:
Detecting serious illness such as cancer or viral infection does not necessarily require a high-tech laboratory. Moreover, This is what a MIT team shows with the creation of a disposable electrochemical sensor which uses a gold. Additionally, Moreover, leaf electrode covered with DNA. In addition, Everything costs less than 50 cents to produce! Nevertheless, The idea is to offer inexpensive diagnoses that are easy to use in the field, or even at home.
The polymer that changes everything
The principle is based on an enzyme from the CRISPR system, case12. Nevertheless, Once activated by the presence of a target genetic sequence (like that of HIV. In addition, papillomavirus or a cancerous gene), the enzyme behaves like a “lawn mower”, cutting all the DNA present on the electrode. Therefore, This change changes the electric current measured by the sensor, a simple signal to interpret.
50 cents sensor can detect
This functioning is inspired by glucommers, these portable devices which measure the level of blood sugar. The detection goes through a guide RNA designed to recognize a precise sequence. If there is correspondence. the enzyme is activated, cuts the DNA of the electrode, and the drop in the electrical signal confirms the presence of the targeted gene.
So far, the Achille heel of this technology was the stability of DNA. Fragile. he could only be kept for a few hours, forcing to assemble the sensors on site, at the last moment. To get around this limit. the researchers covered the DNA of a vinyl polyalcool film (PVA), a cheap polymer, forming an effective protective barrier.
« Once dry. the PVA acts as a tarp against the usual DNA threats, in particular reactive oxygen or the rupture of the link between DNA and gold “Explains Ariel Furst, MIT professor and project 50 cents sensor can detect manager. Result: the sensors retain their efficiency up to two months, even at 65 ° C. After rinsing the polymer, they always detect the PCA3 gene, a marker of prostate cancer, present in the urine.
The uses are multiple: screening from saliva, nasal or urinary samples, with sensors shipped without refrigeration. An ideal perspective for regions that lack solid medical infrastructure.
Encouraged by these results, the team now hopes to industrialize this system. Several members have been admitted to Delta V, the MIT business incubator, with the ambition to launch a startup. The objective is to mass produce these sensors, ship them at low cost, and democratize rapid, portable and reliable diagnoses.
« So far, we had to make the sensors on site. Now we can send them where we need them, without fridge. It opens the door to much more difficult environments », Underlines Ariel Furst.
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50 cents sensor can detect
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