Biosensor Technology Uses Antibodies to Detect Biomarkers

A scientific team has developed a biosensor technology that uses antibodies to detect biomarkers--molecules in the human body that are often a marker for disease--much faster than current testing methods.

The technology was developed through a European collaboration of scientists and commercial partners in a project called Electro-Immunointerfaces and Surface Nanobiotechnology: A Heterodoxical Approach (ELISHA). Coordinated by Dr. Paul Millner from the Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds (UK), and managed by colleague Dr. Tim Gibson, new techniques were developed for attaching antibodies to innovative surfaces, and novel electronic measurement methods that need no reagents or labels.

Currently, blood and urine are tested for disease markers using a method called enzyme- linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), a process that takes an average of two hours to complete, is costly, and can only be performed by highly trained staff.

The new technology could be used in hospitals for rapid diagnosis and in doctors' offices to enable more accurate referral to consultants. Tests have shown that the biosensors can detect a wide range of analytes (substances being measured), including biomarkers present in prostate and ovarian cancer, stroke, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and fungal infections. The team also believes that the biosensors are versatile enough to test for diseases such as tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

The Leeds team expects that their new technology, which provides results in 15 minutes or less, could be developed into a small device the size of a mobile phone into which different sensor chips could be inserted, depending on the disease. Dr Millner commented, "We believe this to be the next generation diagnostic testing. We can now detect almost any analyte faster, cheaper, and more easily than the current testing methodology.”

"We've designed simple instrumentation to make the biosensors easy to use and understand,” said Dr Millner. "They'll work in a format similar to the glucose biosensor testing kits that diabetics currently use.”

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ELISHA
Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds