COLOUR TESTS TO SPOT EARLY HIV AND
PROSTATE CANCER
Researchers in the UK
have developed a "naked eye" colour test for virus and disease
biomarkers which is ten times more sensitive than current gold standard
methods. They have tested it on HIV and prostate cancer biomarkers, and suggest
it offers a cheap and simple way of spotting early onset of these diseases.
The detection is done by analyzing serum, derived from blood, in a disposable,
see-through container. If the result is positive for p24 or PSA, the
solution inside the container turns blue, if it is negative, it turns red.
The enzyme label of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) controls the
growth of gold nanoparticles and generates coloured solutions when the analyte
(eg p24 or PSA) is present.
If the analyte is
present, the reaction generates irregular clumps of nanoparticles, and these
give off a distinct blue colour in the solution inside the container. If the
analyte is absent, the nanoparticles separate into ball-like shapes, which give
off a reddish colour. The reactions can be seen with the naked eye.
This may help testing patients on HIV treatment to assess the
effectiveness of retroviral therapies and also to check for new infections,
with less expense and also to detect early signs of cancer.
Linu Mohan
Asst prof
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