University of Pittsburgh researchers have developed an antibody-based biosensor to detect tau protein. Using aptamers/antibodies bound to platinum wire scaffold and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), this biosensor could be used to detect tau proteins in whole blood samples. These biosensors could help diagnose concussions, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and neurodegenerative diseases (ND) ensuring patients get timely diagnosis and treatment.
Description
Tau proteins are generally located in the neurons of the central nervous system (CNS) and provide stability to microtubules in axons. Phosphorylation of the tau protein is essential for this role; however, hyperphosphorylation of tau can lead to the formation of neurofibrillary tangles known to lead to the onset of neurodegenerative conditions. There is increasing evidence that tau may be a biomarker of acute damage to the brain including stroke, concussion, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Concussion is a common traumatic brain injury and is generally diagnosed through subjective symptom reporting. There exists an imminent clinical need for a rapid, low-cost, minimally invasive, sensitive diagnostic method. These biosensors could meet this critical need and lead to the development of safe, timely, and effective tests to diagnose brain injuries rapidly with applications in areas as diverse as sports, pediatric, and emergency medicine.
Applications
- Rapid diagnosis of concussion or traumatic brain injury
- Diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer’s disease
- Sports medicine for concussion and head injury protocols in sports including football, ice-hockey, and other aggressive contact sports
Advantages
Current diagnoses of TBI include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computer aided tomography (CAT) scans. These are costly, not always available, and require trained specialized staff. Tau levels can currently be determined in body fluid; however, this can be a lengthy process which often requires several days of laboratory work (e.g., ELISA testing on blood samples). The process can also be highly invasive, expensive, and risky to the patient (e.g., cerebrospinal fluid testing).
This novel biosensor uses accurate, precise and sensitive EIS technique to detect tau. Containing platinum wire scaffolds that have high electrical conductivity, stability in ambient air and low adsorption, whole blood samples could now be tested. EIS is a quick, highly sensitive, label-free and minimally complex technique which could be miniaturized into a portable handheld device for rapid, out-of-hospital prognosis of TBI or ND.
Invention Readiness
A prototype biosensor has been produced. The biosensor, containing platinum electrodes is fabricated into a concentric pattern to form a disk containing multiple electrodes. Following polishing, the platinum wires are functionalized with NeutrAvidin and treated with biotinylated tau antibodies. Testing of the biosensor demonstrated using only small quantities of protein (2 L) with binding and detection time of less than 10 minutes. The biosensor could also detect tau concentration from 0.001–10 pg/mL with a very small error margin and high sensitivity demonstrating the potential of these biosensors to be clinically useful.
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US12105087B2
