Nanotech gadget ‘to diagnose’ any disease
WASHINGTON: Scientists have developed a nanotech gadget which they claim could diagnose a number of diseases in a single liquid sample and give
an instant result.
A team at Pennsylvania State University created the gadget, a microchip, by coating a series of nanowires with DNA sequences which match those from the disease-causing bacteria or viruses - whether hepatitis or HIV.
According to the scientists, if DNA from one of those pathogens is present in a sample, it will bind to the nanowire with the matching sequence, a process that changes the wire’s conductivity, the ‘New Scientist’ reported.
“Our DNA-coated rhodium nanowires ‘feel’ the electric field at a distance and are drawn towards the region spanning our guide electrodes until they reach a microwell, which they then snap into due to the higher field strength there,” team leader Christine Keating said.
The process is very accurate, with nanowires slotting into the right place 99% of the time. And, having many nanowires for each disease is important for avoiding any false negatives and false positives, the scientists said.
In tests, the team created a chip that was able to detect the presence of DNA from hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV, although it signalled a positive match by glowing, rather than using electrodes.