IIT Jodhpur Develops Nanosensor for Fast Detection of Cytokines; Check Details Here

Researchers at IIT Jodhpur have developed a nanosensor for rapid detection of Cytokines, key regulatory proteins. This technology is aimed at lowering mortality rates by addressing delayed diagnoses and improving early detection. Know details here 

The researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur have developed a nanosensor designed for the swift detection of Cytokines, proteins crucial in cell regulation. This advancement seeks to minimize mortality by addressing the challenges of delayed diagnoses and the absence of early detection mechanisms. Additionally, this nanosensor technology harbours significant promise for applications in rapid, point-of-care health monitoring, disease diagnosis, prognosis, and tracking immune responses, potentially revolutionizing the approach towards healthcare diagnostics and patient management.

Talking about the developed technique and its future scope, Prof. Ajay Agarwal, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Jodhpur, said, “This technique which is currently in its development stage has provided exciting and encouraging results for three biomarkers i.e. interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-β (IL-β), and TNF-α which are key pro-inflammatory cytokines, released by inflammatory cells. As of now, the testing is done for controlled samples, but the team aims to take the technology to clinical trials soon.”

The work was published by Ms. Akilandeshwari B, Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Mr. Sarvar Singh, Department of Electrical Engineering, Prof. Ajay Agarwal, Head, Department of Electrical Engineering, and Prof. Sushmita Jha, Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering at IIT Jodhpur as a conference proceeding of 2023 IEEE Applied Sensing Conference (APSCON) (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/APSCON56343.2023.10101191).

Nanosensor for Fast Detection of Cytokines

The developed sensor, a rapid and selective diagnostic technique, is used in conjunction with AI for quick and accurate data processing and analysis. By getting a faster and more robust diagnosis of a person’s autoimmune diseases and bacterial infections, this sensor possesses the capability to transform a patient’s medical treatment. This way, a patient’s disease can be diagnosed and tracked promptly to guide the future course of treating them.

The sensor created by IIT Jodhpur employs Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for the detection of analytes at minimal concentrations. Utilizing semiconductor process technology and operating on the Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) principle, this method is highly effective, enabling the identification of trace molecules with remarkable accuracy and specificity.

Currently, cytokine detection primarily relies on the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques, which, despite their reliability, demand extensive time, skilled operators, and lengthy sample preparation, often exceeding 6 hours. In contrast, the sensor designed by IIT Jodhpur significantly cuts down the time to just 30 minutes and offers a more cost-effective solution.

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