A quick, inexpensive test for detecting osteoporosis risk developed

Age-associated diseases such as osteoporosis are having an increasing impact due to a worldwide increase in life expectancy. Early detection could help physicians intervene as soon as possible, but this type of detection is not yet possible with current osteoporosis diagnostic tests.

Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by an increased risk of bone fractures and affects about 54 million people in the U.S., according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation. Early intervention is important to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with this condition.

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is one of the most common techniques used for measuring changes in BMD (bone mineral density), but, it is not sufficiently sensitive for detection of BMD loss until a significant amount of damage has already occurred.

Several genomic studies have reported genetic variations known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to be associated with an increased osteoporosis risk. Against this background, Ciara K. O’Sullivan, University in Tarragona, Spain, and colleagues aimed to develop a portable electrochemical device that would allow quick detection of five of these SNPs in finger-prick blood samples in a step toward early osteoporosis diagnosis.

The device involves an electrode array to which are attached DNA fragments for each SNP. When lysed whole blood is applied to the array any DNA matching the SNPs binds the sequences and is amplified with recombinase polymerase that embodies ferrocene, a label that helps in electrochemical detection. The researchers detected osteoporosis-associated SNPs in 15 human blood samples using this platform, confirming their results with other methods.

The analysis can be performed quickly in about 15 minutes and inexpensively (< $0.5 per SNP) as the DNA does not have to be purified from the blood.

The researchers further add that the device offers great potential for use in point-of-care settings, rather than being limited to a centralized laboratory because the equipment and reagents are portable and readily accessible.

The technology is also versatile and can be readily adapted to detect other SNPs, as the researchers showed previously when identifying drug resistance in Tuberculosis mycobacterium from sputum and cardiomyopathy risk from blood. Although the device does not diagnose osteoporosis itself, it might help physicians identify people whom they should monitor more closely.

Reference:

ACS Cent. Sci. 2023, XXXX, XXX, XXX-XXX. Publication Date:July 19, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.3c00243