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American researcher from Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz Andy Yeh created a fluorescent sensor, that attaches to cortisol molecules in blood and urine and allows measure stress levels.
It is noted, that the protein-based biosensor measures cortisol levels with high accuracy. This sensor is compatible with smartphones, making this test even more accessible to users.
Cortisol regulates blood pressure and metabolism. Disruption of the production of this hormone in the body can provoke serious health problems. Usually, in order to measure the level of this hormone, a person needs to go to a doctor and take tests. A recent breakthrough in artificial biosensor technology allows testing to be performed directly in the hospital, providing more accurate results than existing methods.
Once the the biosensor binds to cortisol molecules in blood and urine, and it starts to emit light, demonstrating the concentration of the hormone. The results of the study confirmed, that this method allows for reliable determination of cortisol in the entire range of levels important for human health.
The developer also demonstrated, how this biosensor can be integrated with a smartphone camera. This will make it possible to measure cortisol levels not only in a hospital or laboratory, but also at home.
Andy Yeh is engaged in the engineering of artificial proteins, using artificial intelligence-based computational design to create fundamentally new protein structures, rather than modifying existing ones. To do this, the researcher has created a protein biosensor, that the binding of cortisol leads to the convergence of two modified proteins at the molecular level. This creates a light signal. A brighter glow corresponds to a higher level of cortisol.
According to the developer, is the first example of a biosensor, designed entirely by computing, that can provide such high sensitivity and dynamic range for the detection of small analyte molecules. Using a camera to measure the amount and color of the light emitted, it is possible to determine cortisol levels with greater sensitivity than existing tests allow.
The new diagnostic tool will work similarly to rapid tests for COVID-19, requiring just a drop of blood or urine to be mixed with a solution containing a biosensor. The smartphone camera and app can then convert the emitted light into a direct measurement of cortisol levels.
“You can read the signal directly — the output signal of the sensor is light radiation, so you can essentially just take a picture of the test with your smartphone. Ideally, this is truly compatible with field implementation”, — Andy Yeh adds.
This biosensor offers wider dynamic range, providing quantitative results for normal, too low, and elevated cortisol levels. In the future, this technology could also be used in drug development or for diagnostic purposes to better understand and treat health problems arising from cortisol deficiency or excess.
The results of the study are published in the journal ACS
Source: SciTechDaily
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