Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Chemical Sensor Rapidly Detects Fungal Infections

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 19 May 2016
An elevated concentration of D-arabitol, a simple sugar alcohol, in urine, especially compared to that of L-arabitol or creatinine, is indicative of a fungal infection, which can become deadly.

In healthy humans these forms, known as D-arabitol and L-arabitol, are formed in roughly the same amounts; however, cells of Candida species produce only D-arabitol. The relative increase in the concentration of this enantiomer in body fluids can therefore herald infection.

Scientists at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Warsaw, Poland) devised, fabricated, and tested chemical sensors determining D-arabitol. These chemosensors comprised the quartz crystal resonator (QCR) or extended-gate field-effect transistor (EG-FET) transducers integrated with molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) film recognition units.

The polymer film with molecular cavities binding D-arabitol was prepared using the molecular imprinting technique. The process began by dissolving D-arabitol in acetonitrile. Then boric acid labeled with bithiophene, whose molecules bound to the D-arabitol in particular positions, was added to the solution. The bithiophene substituent permitted the electrochemical polymerization of the solution. A polymer film having a rigid structure was thus created, from which all that was needed was to rinse out the D-arabitol molecules to obtain a film with molecular cavities of the desired shape and properties.

The detection polymer films produced a thickness of about 200 nanometers. They are deposited either on gold electrodes, or on quartz resonators. After immersing a sample taken from a patient in the solution, D-arabitol particles get stuck in the molecular cavities of the films and depending on the method of detection, either change the flow of current through a field-effect transistor having a gate connected to an electrode or the oscillation resonance frequency of a piezoelectric resonator. The chemical sensor enabled the detection time of fungi to be shortened from the current couple of days to just a few minutes.

With the QCR and EG-FET chemosensors, the D-arabitol concentration was determined under flow-injection analysis and stagnant-solution binding conditions, respectively. Selectivity with respect to common interferences, and L-arabitol in particular, of the devised chemosensors was superior. Limits of detection and linear dynamic concentration ranges of the QCR and EG-FET chemosensors were 150 µM and 150µM to 1.25 mM as well as and 120 µM to 1.00 mM, respectively, being lower than the d-arabitol concentrations in urine of patients with invasive candidiasis, which was greater than 220 μM. The authors concluded that the devised chemosensors are suitable for early diagnosis of fungal infections caused by Candida sp. yeasts. The study was published in the May 2016 issue of the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.

Related Links:
Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences



Gold Member
Pharmacogenetics Panel
VeriDose Core Panel v2.0
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
Silver Member
Total Hemoglobin Monitoring System
GREENCARE Hb
New
Silver Member
ACTH Assay
ACTH ELISA
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get complete access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The experimental blood test accurately indicates severity and predicts potential recovery from spinal cord injury (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Blood Test Identifies Multiple Biomarkers for Rapid Diagnosis of Spinal Cord Injury

The National Institutes of Health estimates that 18,000 individuals in the United States sustain spinal cord injuries (SCIs) annually, resulting in a staggering financial burden of over USD 9.... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The findings were based on patients from the ADAURA clinical trial of the targeted therapy osimertinib for patients with NSCLC with EGFR-activated mutations (Photo courtesy of YSM Multimedia Team)

Post-Treatment Blood Test Could Inform Future Cancer Therapy Decisions

In the ongoing advancement of personalized medicine, a new study has provided evidence supporting the use of a tool that detects cancer-derived molecules in the blood of lung cancer patients years after... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: Schematic representation illustrating the key findings of the study (Photo courtesy of UNIST)

Breakthrough Diagnostic Technology Identifies Bacterial Infections with Almost 100% Accuracy within Three Hours

Rapid and precise identification of pathogenic microbes in patient samples is essential for the effective treatment of acute infectious diseases, such as sepsis. The fluorescence in situ hybridization... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: Tumor-associated macrophages visualized using the Multiomic LS Assay (Photo courtesy of ACD)

Leica Biosystems and Bio-Techne Expand Spatial Multiomic Collaboration

Bio-Techne Corporation (Minneapolis, MN, USA) has expanded the longstanding partnership between its spatial biology brand, Advanced Cell Diagnostics (ACD, Newark, CA, USA), and Leica Biosystems (Nussloch,... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.