New Affordable, Rapid Diagnostic Tool To Detect Brain Cancer: Study

Additionally, synthetic silica nanoparticles are used to “report” the presence of active Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors on the captured extracellular vesicles by carrying a high negative charge. When active Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors are present, a voltage shift occurs, signalling the detection of glioblastoma in the patient.

The device consists of three components: an automation interface, a portable prototype machine that dispenses materials for the test, and the biochip. Each test uses a new biochip, but both the automation interface and the prototype machine can be used multiple times.

Performing a test takes less than an hour and requires only 100 microliters of blood. The cost of materials for each biochip is under $2.

While the device was originally developed for glioblastoma, the researchers believe it can be adapted for detecting other types of biological nanoparticles. This suggests that the technology could potentially be used to identify various biomarkers for other diseases.

Reference: Maniya, N.H., Kumar, S., Franklin, J.L. et al. An anion exchange membrane sensor detects EGFR and its activity state in plasma CD63 extracellular vesicles from patients with glioblastoma. Commun Biol 7, 677 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-06385-1