Scientists develop heart attack sensor
An international collaboration of scientists has developed a tiny electric sensor that could potentially improve patient survival rates by telling doctors if a person has had a heart attack.
Cardiovascular diseases account for around 30% of adult deaths in the 30-70-year age group, which is greater than the combined deaths from all types of cancer.
The ability to diagnose cardiac disease is therefore of utmost concern to doctors.
Dr David J Lewis, from Manchester’s School of Materials, has worked with colleagues and a team at India’s Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) since 2014 to develop a nanoscale sensor made from ‘few-layer black phosphorus’, a new 2D material, which was coated in DNA.
This work is the first example of 2D few-layer black phosphorus being used as a biological sensing platform. The test could eventually be used at the patient bedside, and does not require the use of centralised laboratories that may slow down their diagnosis.
Dr Lewis said: “I was really pleased to publish a paper that used all my skills and the areas of interest that I have developed so far in my career – nanoscience and materials science, and their biological applications.
“My Dad suffered a heart scare in late 2013 and has been rehabilitating since, and I have lost good friends to heart disease, so I know full well the devastation that it can bring to individuals and families. The fact that it could potentially have a societal impact beyond academia and could potentially improve patient survival and quality of life beyond a heart attack, is for me amazing.”
Their work is described in detail in the American Chemical Society Journal, which can be read here.
