INDOZONE.ID – Scientists are constantly looking for ways to diagnose what’s going on in the body as quickly and safely as possible, meaning problems can be found earlier and managed more effectively. A case in point is a new microchip developed by researchers that can assess levels of stress hormones in the body from a drop of blood.
Developed with the same process used to make computer chips, it is much cheaper and easier than the complex lab tests that could potentially be replaced. The specific stress hormone studied in this study is cortisol, which is linked to the regulation of various aspects of physical and mental health. High cortisol levels can lead to sleep deprivation and panic attacks. Seeing this, one of the electrical and computer engineers, Reza Mahmoodi, gave his comment.
“The use of nanosensors allows us to detect cortisol molecules directly without requiring other molecules or particles to act as labels,” he said.
Fluorescent tags are often used to label molecules for easy identification, but these nanosensors can function without them. Instead, they also use a process known as impedance, or resistance to electric current, in this case between two vertically stacked electrodes.
To test how well it worked, the microchip was put through various trials before being used for analysis of blood samples from 65 people with rheumatoid arthritis. Cortisol detection rates alone are nearly as reliable as the current gold standard.
“Our new sensor produces an accurate and reliable response that allows continuous readings of cortisol levels for real-time analysis,” said electrical and computer engineer Mehdi Javanmard, from Rutgers University.
“It has great potential to be adapted to non-invasive measurements of cortisol in other fluids such as saliva and urine.” he continued.
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