New high-selectivity nanozyme allows fast and visual illness diagnostics – NanoApps Medical – Official web site

To allow early analysis of acute diseases and efficient administration of persistent circumstances, point-of-care testing (POCT) expertise—diagnostics carried out close to the affected person—is drawing international consideration. The important thing to POCT lies in enzymes that acknowledge and react exactly with particular substances. Nonetheless, conventional pure enzymes are costly and unstable, and nanozymes (enzyme-mimicking catalysts) have suffered from low response selectivity. Now, a Korean analysis staff has developed a high-sensitivity sensor platform that achieves 38 occasions greater selectivity than current nanozymes and permits illness diagnostics seen to the bare eye inside simply 3 minutes.

On the twenty eighth, KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) introduced that Professor Jinwoo Lee’s analysis staff from the Division of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, in collaboration with groups led by Professor Jeong Woo Han at Seoul Nationwide College and Professor Moon Il Kim at Gachon College, has developed a brand new single-atom catalyst that selectively performs solely peroxidase-like reactions whereas sustaining excessive response effectivity.

Utilizing bodily fluids similar to blood, urine, or saliva, this diagnostic platform allows take a look at outcomes to be learn inside minutes even outdoors hospital settings—vastly enhancing medical accessibility and making certain well timed remedy. The important thing lies within the visible detection of biomarkers (illness indicators) via colour modifications triggered by enzyme reactions. Nonetheless, pure enzymes are costly and simply degraded in diagnostic environments, limiting their storage and distribution.

To handle this, inorganic nanozyme supplies have been developed as substitutes. But, they sometimes lack selectivity—when hydrogen peroxide is used as a substrate, the identical catalyst triggers each peroxidase-like reactions (which trigger colour change) and catalase-like reactions (which take away the substrate), decreasing diagnostic sign accuracy.

To regulate catalyst selectivity on the atomic stage, the researchers used an modern structural design: attaching chlorine (Cl) ligands in a three-dimensional configuration to the central ruthenium (Ru) atom to fine-tune its chemical properties. This enabled them to isolate solely the specified diagnostic sign.

Experimental outcomes confirmed that the brand new catalyst achieved over 38-fold enchancment in selectivity in comparison with current nanozymes, with considerably elevated sensitivity and velocity in detecting hydrogen peroxide. Even in near-physiological circumstances (pH 6.0), the catalyst maintained its efficiency, proving its applicability in real-world diagnostics.

By incorporating the catalyst and oxidase right into a paper-based sensor, the staff created a system that would concurrently detect 4 key biomarkers associated to well being: glucose, lactate, ldl cholesterol, and choline—all with a easy colour change.

This platform is broadly relevant throughout varied illness diagnostics and might ship outcomes inside 3 minutes with out advanced devices or pH changes. The findings present that diagnostic efficiency might be dramatically improved with out altering the platform itself, however quite by engineering the catalyst construction.

This research is important in that it concurrently achieves enzyme-level selectivity and reactivity by structurally designing single-atom catalysts.” He added that “the structure-function-based catalyst design technique might be prolonged to the event of assorted metal-based catalysts and different response domains the place selectivity is crucial.”

Professor Jinwoo Lee of KAIST

Seonhye Park and Daeeun Choi, each Ph.D. candidates at KAIST, are co-first authors. The analysis was printed on July 6, 2025, within the prestigious journal Superior Supplies.