Functionalised nanoparticles could soon revolutionise point-of-care diagnostics, it is claimed.
Researchers have developed a method for binding specific molecules in samples and serums, such as antibodies in the blood, to the surface of iron oxide particles thus allowing them to be identified using an inexpensive and compact detector.
This method is based on magnetic nanoparticles – particles of iron oxide that are a few hundred nanometers in size to which specific surfaces have been applied.
Binding nanoparticles with specific antibodies or antigens creates molecules that have a unique movement pattern, for example in rotating magnetic fields.
The researchers have demonstrated that it is possible to make highly sensitive measurements in a very short space of time with little technical outlay.
For example, they were able to reliably detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies within a few seconds using a rapid test. Since the diagnostic device fits into a small case and the materials only cost a few hundred pounds, the technology set could soon become part of the standard equipment for point-of-care diagnosis and become a genuine alternative to complex and costly methods of analysis such as ELISA or flow cytometry.
Image credit | FAU_Harald-Sippel
