Researchers from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), South Korea have developed a technology to enable a biosensor works 20 times faster than the current technology. The biosensor technology is operated using the magnetic field which can be used to diagnose diseases such as cancer.
In its official release last week, DGIST announced that the researchers have incorporated the magnetic field into the biosensor to improve the biosensing technology. The researchers were led by Professor CheolGi Kim from the Lab for NanoBio-matErials & SpinTronics have (nBEST) has invented the platform to increase the speed of biosensor detection 20 times faster than the existing diffusion technique.
The platform uses a micromagnetic pattern, which has greatly improved the resolution of the sensor. This ultra-sensitive sensor managed to overcome the drawback in controlling and detecting the movement of biomolecules. Researchers at the DGIST magnetic sensor allowed the scientist to monitor the movement of proteins and DNA easily by labeling the biomolecules with the specific magnetic particles.
The specific magnetic particles used is the superparamagnetic ones. The biosensor is then integrated with rotating magnetic field formed in a web-shaped magnetic pattern to sense the movement of the biomolecules particles. Professor Kim co-authored the research with Byeonghwa Lim, a Ph.D. student at the Emerging Materials Science of DGIST. The research has been published in the NPG Asia Material on March 31.
"When a rotating magnetic field is applied to a spider web-shaped magnetic pattern, it can attract biomolecules labeled with superparamagnetic particles faster to the sensor," Kim said. "The speed of the movement is very fast and it can detect the subject 20 times faster than the diffusion method."
Professor Kim is also the Director of Center for Core Research Facilities (CCRF) in DGIST. The Center is responsible for managing 7 research centers in GIST. Watch the interview with professor him about the research facility of CCRF below:
