Dogs can sniff someones olfactive signature and somehow smell that youre coming home even before youve entered the door. They can also determine when youre ill and know how to treat their human in such situations. Vince Rotello and his research team at the University of Massachusetts has applied the same principle by devising a nano-nose able to recognize some pathological conditions just by sniffing body fluids such as plasma or cerebrospinal liquid, for instance.
Just like a very sensitive nose, gold nanoparticles with six different types of coating are able to bind various proteins and establish a pattern that gives an assessment of the physiological state of the subject. Such electronic noses had previously been developed for small molecules and had been able to diagnose certain diseases like cancer but this is the first time that coated nanoparticles can identify larger molecules such as proteins.
This new diagnosis method will help faster determination of various pathological states, and therefore allow the treatment to be delivered more quickly.
A set of gold nanoparticles with various coatings can identify proteins by mimicking the way the human nose distinguishes scents. US researchers are using them to detect signs of illness in bodily fluids.
Source: New Scientist