– The nanosensor that can identify thyroid cancer metastases is ready: using laser light and tiny gold spheres that enhance its sensitivity, it can reliably identify them by detecting the presence of a single protein. It was developed by researchers from three Institutes of the National Research Council of Naples and the Universities of Sannio and Federico II of Naples. Napoli.
The study, published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics, uses a technique that has enormous potential in the creation of biological sensors and that could also be extended to other forms of cancer, facilitating diagnosis and identifying the most effective treatments. The new nanosensor is able to identify and measure the presence of a particular protein, thyroglobulin, in biopsies of suspicious lymph nodes.
In fact, thyroglobulin is normally found exclusively in the thyroid and its identification in the lymph nodes is therefore indicative of the presence of metastases. Detecting this protein requires the use of complex equipment and methods, which do not provide immediate results and cannot be used in the operating room. For this reason, researchers led by Sara Spaziani, from the University of Sannio, have developed a fiber optic sensor, directly usable in the operating room and minimally invasive.
The device uses laser light diffusion and allows the identification of thyroglobulin by analyzing the color of the light it reflects. This type of signal, however, is very weak. For this reason, the authors of the study added gold-coated nanospheres to the biosensor, which can amplify the signal even at very low concentrations of the protein. Furthermore, the nanosensor can be made either on a chip or on an optical fiber, and therefore could also be used directly inside the needle used to take the sample.
Article published on 1 June 2023 - 17:20
