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Graphene-based, point-of-care-testing device that diagnoses microorganism-induced diseases and measures blood glucose levels

Country of Origin: Poland
Reference Number: TOPL20171107001
Publication Date: 30 November 2017

Summary

A research team from a Polish university, composed of people active in the fields of nanotechnology, biomaterials, electronic engineering and medicine, has developed an electrochemical testing device with graphene-based sensing electrodes for medical purposes. The device diagnoses various diseases by detecting DNA of microorganism causing them and can be used to monitor health of a patient by measuring blood glucose levels. Licencing agreement is offered to medical device producers.

Description

If timely and accurately diagnosed, most known diseases can be effectively treated. But laboratory testing, which is accurate, is also time-consuming: a sample taken for an analysis from a patient has to be sent to a laboratory (which often has backlogs), where it waits - with other samples - for its turn, then results are sent back to a doctor, whom patient has to visit for the second time. On the other hand, available point-of-care-testing devices which provide quick results, are often inaccurate and test only for one cause/disease. So, currently there is no method of fast, precise and comprehensive patient's sample testing in order to diagnose the cause of his illness.



A university-based team of scientists (their fields of research: nanotechnologies, biomaterials and electronic engineering) and medical practitioners from the north-west Poland has developed and is offering an electrochemical testing device with graphene-based sensing electrodes (biosensor). The offered solution identifies DNA of various microorganisms, measures level of blood glucose concentration, thus allowing to diagnose a wide range of diseases and to monitor patients' health. Thanks to its size, the device can be installed and used in a doctor's office, hospitals/emergency rooms, pharmacies or even at a patients' house. In contrast to available point-of-care-testing devices (e.g. popular/widespread blood glucose meters) which use only one testing method (chronoamperometry), the device simultaneously conducts multiple electrochemical tests on a single sample, thus giving more accurate and reliable results.



The authors of the biosensor would like to see their invention introduced to the market. Therefore they are offering it under licensing agreement to manufacturers of medical devices. Besides buying the license, a partner is expected to mass-produce the device, distribute it through his channels, gather a feedback from customers and share it with the creators, so that they can improve their device. In turn, the authors will help adapt the offered technology for mass production.

Advantages and Innovations

The offered device is innovative and better than other existing solutions because it allows testing a single sample for multiple targets (various microorganisms, blood glucose concentration), using multiple electrochemical testing methods, thus it provides - unlike available point-of-care-testing devices - more comprehensive and accurate results. And unlike laboratory testing, the process doesn't take too much time because size of the biosensor allows using it in any place, thus samples don't have to be sent anywhere and wait in queues. In sum, the offered device brings laboratory-grade (accurate) testing to doctors' office, hospitals/emergency rooms and even patients' house.



Other advantages:

- the device can send results of a test to other location, e.g. a patient can make the test at home and send results to his doctor.

- by making slight modifications, the device can be used in fields other than medicine, e.g. in environmental protection (to test water/air/soil for pollutions).

Stage Of Development

Prototype available for demonstration

Requested partner

Type of Partner Sought: manufacturers of medical devices

Role of Partner Sought: to buy license for the device, start its mass-production, distribute biosensor, gather a feedback from customers and share it with the creators, so that they can improve the device.