A sensor developed by researchers from the universities of São Paulo (USP) and Federal de Viçosa (UFV) can make life easier for patients who need it frequently monitor biomarkers in urine – for example, those who suffer from drop and have to control the levels of uric acid .
The device is capable of providing this information quickly and at home, simply by connecting it to your smartphone, study shows published at the Chemical Engineering Journal.
With a production cost of less than R$0.50, the equipment contains a flexible sensor strip with electrodes that, integrated into a portable analyzer, measures a broad spectrum of molecular biomarkers in three minutes, after receiving drops of human urine, without need to pass the sample through previous pre-treatment steps. The analysis is displayed on a mobile device (smartphone, laptop or tablet) via wireless communication (bluetooth).
The tests carried out during the study, which was supported by FAPESP (projects 20/09587-8 , 23/07686-7 , 19/01777-5 , 22/02164-0 , 16/01919-6 It is 23/00850-6 ), analyzed levels of uric acid and dopamine in urine. The former has been considered a biomarker for several diseases, including hyperuricemia , Fanconi syndrome , drop , cancer , Lesch-Nyhan syndrome It is kidney dysfunction in addition to physical stress and high risks of type 2 diabetes with high severity and complications.
Dopamine is an important neuromodulator with vital functions in the central nervous, renal, hormonal and cardiovascular systems. Abnormal levels may indicate neurological and psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, depression, addiction, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
The analytical performance of the sensor was considered comparable to the gold standard method (kit used in clinical analysis laboratories).
“The integration of electronic chemical sensors with wearable devices allows us to continuously and remotely monitor patients’ key vital signs, metabolite levels and biomarkers in real time to support health and well-being,” says Paulo Augusto Raymundo-Pereira researcher at the São Carlos Physics Institute (IFSC-USP).
“The idea is that our device will be used to provide information about an individual's health status at molecular levels, paving the way for a wide range of personalized monitoring, decentralized analysis, diagnostic and therapeutic applications, a potential that has become clear with the popularization of self-tests. COVID-19 during the pandemic.”
Focus on sustainability
Another important highlight of the new sensor is that, unlike existing portable electronic detection devices made from conventional petroleum-based plastics, it was developed with biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) films, helping to meet the requirements of the Sustainable development (SDG ) established by the United Nations (UN) in the 2030 Agenda.
“PLA is a biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, bio-based polyester derived from lactic acid and produced from renewable natural resources by fermentation of polysaccharides or sugars extracted from corn, wheat, potatoes, sugar cane, rice and sugar beets. saccharine”, explains Raymundo-Pereira. “It was chosen by us due to its intrinsic and desirable characteristics, including chemical, physical, mechanical, thermal properties, high strength, elasticity and rigidity.”
In the United States, the material already has approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for biomedical applications, including stents, orthopedic plates and screws, absorbable sutures, drug delivery vehicles, adhesion prevention films, tissue engineering, implantable devices, and direct contact with biological fluids .
“As far as we know, PLA bioplastic has not yet been used as a substrate or support for the manufacture of disposable sensors and biosensors. Our study demonstrated the first example of a sustainable sensor strip integrated with a portable wireless analyzer for rapid self-testing,” says Raymundo-Pereira.
The article Flexible and sustainable printed sensor strips for on-site, fast decentralized self-testing of urinary biomarkers integrated with a portable wireless analyzer can be read at: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1385894723035064 .
Source: CNN Brasil
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