GUWAHATI: The Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati, has developed a highly sensitive, eco-friendly, and cost-effective optical sensing platform for cholesterol detection. The innovation was announced on Wednesday, April 23.
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The new method has been expected to aid in the early identification of fatal diseases such as atherosclerosis, venous thrombosis, cardiovascular disorders, myocardial infarction, hypertension, and certain cancers, according to a press release.
Cholesterol, a crucial lipid produced by the liver, is essential for human physiological functions. It acts as a precursor for vitamin D, bile acids, and steroid hormones. However, imbalances—particularly elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), often called 'bad' cholesterol—can lead to plaque buildup in arteries, resulting in restricted blood flow and severe health complications.
To counter such challenges, the newly developed platform offers a point-of-care (POC) solution capable of detecting cholesterol at trace levels, even below the standard preferred range. Designed for personalised health monitoring, it enables rapid and accurate biomarker detection, which is vital for early intervention in lifestyle-related diseases.
The platform’s reliability has been tested on real-world media, including human blood serum, experimental rat blood serum, and milk. The sensor demonstrated a high degree of selectivity and sensitivity in all tested environments, confirming its potential for broader application.
The device has so far been developed at a laboratory scale, while the findings of this research have been published in Nanoscale, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry.