Scientists from the Ural Federal University have created a fundamentally new device for measuring blood cholesterol levels, which does not require the use of protein compounds. Research published Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry.
As the authors explain in a comment to SciTechDaily, cholesterol determination is currently done using colorimetry, chromatography, and enzymes. However, these methods use either highly aggressive reagents or complex and expensive equipment, or enzymes, which are biological molecules isolated from living organisms. Enzymes are prone to degradation therefore require certain storage conditions.
Scientists have succeeded in creating a cholesterol sensor that uses only inorganic substances, including copper chloride, which shows the sensor’s highest sensitivity to cholesterol. A special magnetic nanoparticle layer with polymers selectively absorbs cholesterol, filtering out other blood substances, increasing the selectivity and accuracy of the test. The microfluidic chip, in which all the elements of the system are integrated, is printed in a 3D printer, making the device manufacturing process easier and faster.
The scientists have already tested model solutions that mimic blood serum, and they plan to test the system on real blood samples in the near future. The development will increase its speed and convenience, as well as make cholesterol measurement more accessible.