Improved sensitivity for enolase detection via its enzymatic activity when using tethered PK and Luc. Credit: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0142326
Tethering enzymes to nanoparticles makes measuring tiny quantities possible. Besides early stroke detection, the method can be expanded to diagnose concussion, some forms of dementia, and some types of cancer and heart disease. Minutes count when treating stroke, but current diagnostics take as long as 3hrs, lab work, and skilled technicians to arrive at a conclusive diagnosis. Scientists at Cornell University’s Baker Institute for Animal Health have developed a device that helps diagnose stroke in <10min using a drop of blood.
“3/4 of stroke patients suffer from ischemic stroke…time is of the essence, because there is a good drug available, but for a successful outcome it has to be given within 3 or 4 hours after the onset of symptoms,” says Cohen. ”
The new technology uses enzymes attached to nanoparticles to detect the biomarker molecules and convert that detection into light. The researchers focused on the biomarker neuron-specific enolase (NSE), a substance found in higher concentrations in the blood of victims of stroke and other conditions. By measuring the amount of light produced from various samples, Cohen et al can determine the concentration of NSE in the sample. At each step of the way, the signal from the NSE is amplified, so even minute quantities give off enough light for detection.
The idea to tether the enzymes, says co-author Alex Travis, Associate Professor of Reproductive Biology at the Baker Institute for Animal Health, came from the hardworking enzymes tethered to the shafts of sperm tails. These sperm enzymes efficiently turn sugars into energy that powers the flagellum and moves the sperm along. The fact that they’re attached to the sperm tail instead of floating around in solution enables the enzymes to efficiently pass the substrate along from point to point and get the most “bang for the buck” from a sugar molecule, according to Travis.
“This system could be tailored to detect multiple biomarkers,” says Travis. “That’s the strength of the technique. You could assemble a microfluidic card based on this technology that could detect 10 biomarkers in different wells, and the readout would be the same for each one: light.” Using the same detection system for multiple different biomarkers would make for a simple system in a relatively small package, he says.
For now, Cohen says, they’re experimenting with using the system to detect traumatic brain injury among mixed martial arts athletes. The early results of this work have been promising.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0142326
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/cuco-ntp112415.php
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