In medicine, iron deficiency due to poor nutrition can lead to anemia, while a sudden rise in blood iron levels may signal underlying inflammation. Because of this, measuring blood iron content has become a crucial diagnostic tool. Recently, researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany have taken a significant step forward by using nanodiamond sensors to enhance the accuracy of blood iron detection.
The project was led by experimental physicist Fedor Jelezko, theoretical physicist Martin Plenio, and chemist Tanja Weil, with financial support from the European Research Council amounting to €10.3 million. Their findings were published in the journal *Nano Letters*.
According to Tanja Weil, iron in the human body exists mainly as compounds, and determining whether it's within normal ranges requires measuring free iron. Free iron is elemental and potentially toxic, which is why traditional blood tests typically do not measure it directly. Instead, they rely on proteins like ferritin, which stores up to 4,500 iron ions. Most current methods use immunological techniques to estimate iron levels, but these can be inconsistent due to variations in testing procedures, leading to confusion in diagnosis.
To address this issue, Ulm University researchers developed a new method called the nanodiamond sensor assay. They discovered that each ferritin molecule generates a weak magnetic field. However, because the number of iron ions in each ferritin is relatively small, detecting this field is extremely challenging with conventional technology. This led to the need for a highly sensitive sensor—enter nano-diamonds.
The nanodiamonds used in the study are not flawless, colorless diamonds, but rather those with lattice defects. These defects make them optically active, allowing them to emit specific colors. Scientists utilized the color centers in the nanodiamonds to detect the electron spin direction of the magnetic field generated by ferritin, enabling precise measurement of its strength.
Additionally, the team used electrostatic interactions between the diamond particles and ferritin to overcome the challenge of ferritin binding to the diamond surface.
Martin Plenio emphasized the importance of theoretical modeling in ensuring that the data collected aligns with real-world conditions. He noted that this is essential for validating the effectiveness of the nanodiamond sensor technology.
Looking ahead, the research team plans to determine the exact amount of ferritin and iron ions present in each protein.
Scientists at Ulm University believe that the advancements in nanodiamond-based biosensors could revolutionize medical diagnostics. In the future, blood iron level testing may become more accurate, significantly improving patient care and diagnosis. (Based on the article "Spinach and Nanodiamonds? Nanodiamond Biosensor for Detection of Iron-Level in Blood")
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