Scientists have developed a new method for medical testing.
This may lead to faster diagnosis of HIV, Lyme disease, syphilis and rotavirus infections.
Researchers combined cutting-edge nanoscience with a magnetic process discovered more than 170 years ago to create the method for speedy medical tests.
The team coated nanoparticles with the antibody to BSA, or bovine serum albumin. This is an antibody which is commonly used as the basis of a variety of diagnostic tests.
By mixing the nanoparticles in a test solution, the BSA proteins preferentially bind with the antibodies coating the nanoparticles.
Nanoparticles were used with an iron core and applied a magnetic field to the solution, causing the particles to align in a particular formation.
As proteins bind to the antibody-coated particles, the rotation of the particles becomes sluggish, which is easy to discover with laser optics.
The discovery, if commercialised, could lead to faster test results for HIV, Lyme disease, syphilis, rotavirus and other infectious conditions.
At the core of the research are nanoparticles - tiny particles that are one-billionth of a meter.
Application of Faraday Rotation: Know More- The interaction of a magnetic field and light is known as Faraday rotation.
- This is a principle discovered by scientist MichaelFaraday in 1845.
- Putnam adapted it for biological use.
- Method could be used to produce biochemical immunology test results in as little as 15 minutes, compared to several hours for ELISA, or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
- This is currently a standard approach for biomolecule detection.
