Indian scientists at IASST have pioneered a groundbreaking optical sensing platform for cholesterol detection using innovative quantum dot technology. The device can sense extremely low cholesterol levels and potentially identify early signs of critical diseases like heart conditions and cancer. By incorporating silk fibre into a cellulose nitrate membrane, researchers created a highly sensitive and selective sensor that generates no electronic waste. This breakthrough offers promising implications for personalized health monitoring and early disease detection.
April 24, 2025
Indian scientists develop optical sensing platform to detect cholesterol
"Detecting
fatal diseases at their earliest symptoms is essential" - Research Team,
IASST
A team of
interdisciplinary researchers at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and
Technology (IASST) in Guwahati, an autonomous institute under the Department of
Science and Technology (DST), has developed an optical sensing platform for
cholesterol detection, based on silk fibre functionalised using phosphorene
quantum dots, it was announced on Wednesday.
Key
Points
1 Innovative
sensor detects cholesterol in trace amounts
2 Platform
can identify early symptoms of cardiovascular diseases
3 Generates
zero electronic waste
4 Uses
silk fibre and quantum dot technology
A
point-of-care (POC) device has been developed in the laboratory scale for
detecting cholesterol using this, according to a Ministry of Science &
Technology statement.
It can
sense cholesterol in trace amounts, even below the preferred range. It can be
an efficient tool for routine monitoring of cholesterol levels in the human
body.
The
platform developed for cholesterol detection can help identify early symptoms
of diseases like atherosclerosis, venous thrombosis, cardiovascular diseases,
heart disease, myocardial infarction, hypertension, and cancer.
The
project, led by Neelotpal Sen Sarma, a retired professor; Dr Asis Bala, an
Associate Professor; and Nasrin Sultana, a DST INSPIRE Senior Research Fellow
incorporated the material - the silk fibre -- into a cellulose nitrate membrane
to create an electrical sensing platform for cholesterol detection.
The synthesised
sensors were highly sensitive as well as selective for cholesterol detection.
Furthermore, the electrical sensing platform generates no e-waste, a key
advantage of the fabricated device.
Both
sensing platforms respond similarly to real-world media such as human blood
serum, experimental rat blood serum, and milk. The work has been published in
the "Nanoscale" Journal, published by Royal Society of Chemistry.
Detecting
fatal diseases at their earliest symptoms is essential, as abnormal biochemical
markers may sometimes accompany such disorders. Therefore, reliable
point-of-care (POC) detection of biomarkers associated with these diseases is
necessary for personalized health monitoring.
Cholesterol
is an essential lipid in humans, produced by the liver. It is the precursor for
vitamin D, bile acids, and steroid hormones. Cholesterol is necessary for
animal tissues, blood, and nerve cells, and it is transported by blood in
mammals.
There are
two types of cholesterol: LDL (low-density lipoprotein), often referred to as
'bad' cholesterol because it can accumulate in the walls of arteries and
contribute to severe diseases, and HDL (high-density lipoprotein), known as
'good' cholesterol.
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