Oct 15 2014
The development is based on optical principles and provides precision and allows saving vital time for the patient.
In order to obtain accurate and immediate diagnosis, a group of researchers in the area of Nano-Optics at the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada, Baja California (CICESE), in the north of Mexico, developed a sensor based on the properties of light to perform, among other things, blood analysis allowing the health specialist to have accurate information.
The development has allowed the obtaining of a patent and its publication in journals across the world; besides scientists at CICESE, researchers form the Technological Institute of Superior Studies of Monterrey (ITESM) and the Institute of Photonics of the Czech Republic were involved in the development.
Explaining the objective of this technological development, leader of Nano-optics at CICESE, Victor Manuel Coello Cárdenas explains that for sciences applied to health the challenge is healing in the quickest way. "Currently, to perform simple assessments such as the CBC requires several hours and even days and there is the drawback for a lack of personalized diagnosis; we are facing the challenge, with a sensor that gives accurate information and, in the future, can be used at home.
"We work on two things, making a sensor that used optical principles at a nanoscale (nano corresponds to one billionth of a meter) and how we are going to insert the fluid in these dimensions. The challenge is to have a portable lab on a chip, capable of making individualized measurements".
Physicist Coello Cardenas reports that researchers at the ITESM were interested in the sensor and incorporated it into the development. This is how Israel Martínez, PhD student, worked in micro fluidic linked to an optical sensor and made contact with an institute in the Czech Republic seeking technology that was not available in Mexico. The european institution offered him a one-year stay and at his return to Mexico the sensor was concluded.
The device is characterized by the application of structures that mix a liquid in motion, which contains the sample to be analyzed, to facilitate that more of it reaches the place where the actual measure (by sensing) is happening.
"It is worth noting that such sensors are developments of the sixties from the last century, is not a new technology, but has not been exploited. Our contribution is to realize its potential and incorporate current techniques, both of Optics and Nanotechnology," says the scientist at CICESE.
Coello Cardenas has focused his training to Plasmonics, a branch of optics at the nanoscale based on the study of the processes of interaction between electromagnetic radiation and conduction electrons.
"Plasmonics is not new in the world, comes from the 60’s and has undergone changes, but the major change comes in the nineties with the boost of Nanotechnology. I was interested in studying the sensors for its application in medicine, hence the idea of this development. "
After the patent was obtained, device developers arelooking for investors so the sensor can be manufactured industrially and venture into the international market. "We seek to provide scientific support to the interested investor and obtain lower costs as we are talking about expensive technology, but in the area of clinical diagnosis it can be a very important tool for giving accurate results in much less time."
Source: http://www.invdes.com.mx/