Laboratory on fiber
Tau protein was detected using a fiber optic sensor
Victoria Kondratskaya, PCR.news
With increasing life expectancy, the frequency of neurodegenerative diseases among the elderly also increases. The most common among them is Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the diagnosis of this disease, as a rule, a neuropsychiatric examination is used in combination with imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. However, this is an expensive diagnosis, moreover, it is not accurate enough. Compared to it, the study of biomarkers has certain advantages. Markers of AD are modifications of tau protein and beta-amyloid (Aß), which accumulate in the spinal fluid of the patient long before the onset of symptoms of AD. The most effective clinically significant marker of AD is Tau—441 (tau protein with a length of 441 amino acids).
Traditional methods of detecting tau protein are immuno-enzyme analysis (ELISA) and mass spectrometry. However, the determination of tau protein using ELISA is a time-consuming procedure, and highly qualified specialists are required for analysis using mass spectrometry. An international group of scientists has described a highly sensitive method for determining tau protein using fiber-optic sensor technology (lab-on-fiber).
This technique is carried out through the use of D-form fiber optic sensors with a tin oxide nanofilm and antibodies to tau protein, on which a sample is applied, and on top - a blocking agent in the form of bovine serum albumin.
When white light passes through the sensor, a damped mode resonance (LMR, lossy mode resonance) is formed. The use of nanomateryl allows to increase the light transmission capacity, increasing the sensitivity of tau protein detection up to 10-12 M. In addition, sensors of this type have a high repeatability of results and can be integrated into systems for analyzing liquids. The authors demonstrated that their sensor works in the presence of biological fluids, in particular, artificial spinal fluid.
Thus, the fiber-optic lab-on-fiber technology can be used for highly sensitive detection of tau protein in the determination of AD at an early stage.
Article by Chiavaioli et al. Ultrahigh Sensitive Detection of Tau Protein as Alzheimer's Biomarker via Microfluidics and Nanofunctionalized Optical Fiber Sensors is published in the journal Advanced Photonics Research.
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