Thiruvananthapuram: Researchers at Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council-Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (BRIC-RGCB) have reportedly developed a nanopore-based sensing technology that could help in the early detection and monitoring of biomarkers linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The technology is designed to detect biomarkers that occur in extremely low concentrations and are therefore difficult to identify using conventional methods, the researchers said.
According to a statement from BRIC-RGCB, the research team, led by Mahendran K R, developed sensors using short peptides that can self-assemble into pores of different sizes. The sensors were able to distinguish between disease-associated and non-disease-associated forms of biomarkers, even when the biomarkers were present in complex mixtures of proteins at very low concentrations, the researchers said.
The findings have been published in Nature Nanotechnology journal. The researchers said the technology could eventually be adapted for point-of-care devices capable of detecting disease biomarkers directly from biological fluids such as blood. The researchers said the platform could potentially be extended to biomarkers associated with diseases, including cancer.
The nanopore design used in the study was inspired by structures found in nature, according to the statement. The researchers said combining such nature-inspired nanopores with computationally designed pores could lead to more sensitive sensing technologies in the future.
The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers at Constructor University, Germany, and CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata. It was supported by department of biotechnology, department of science and technology, Indian Council of Medical Research and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
