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On 19 September 2020
a research team from the University of Michigan will be announcing
the initial findings of a project that could lead to early-stage diagnosis
of osteoarthritis. The project, funded by the US National Institute
of Health, is investigating ways to use Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
(SERS), to identify levels of Hyaluronic Acid (HA) within a blood
sample. If successful, detection of the disease would be possible
before mechanical damage to the knee occurs, eliminating the need
for long-term pain management.
The research has been made possible through the development of a new
SERS substrate, Klarite. Launched in January this year by Mesophotonics,
Klarite enables faster, higher accuracy analysis of biological and
chemical samples at lower detection limits. As a result, Gluconate
and Glucosamine, which make up the polymer in HA can now be detected.
“Gluconate and Glucosamine only achieve very weak Raman scatters
and were impossible to identify on previous SERS substrates,”
explains Professor Mike Morris, who heads up the project for the Muscular
Skeletal Disorder Unit at the University. “The signals generated
by the Klarite substrate are many orders of magnitude more intense
than traditional Raman signals, making research projects such as this
possible.”
Offering unparalleled levels of reproducibility, Klarite substrates
are mounted on standard 3” glass slides, allowing the unique
Raman fingerprint in all molecules to be easily and repeatedly identified.
Compatible with existing Raman instruments, Klarite has significant
implications for researchers in a variety of pharmaceutical and biomedical
areas as well as in forensics, homeland security and analytical chemistry.
The initial phase of the research, which is being presented at a Royal
Society of Chemistry event on September 19th, will show that there
is the potential to develop a candidate for a bio-marker for osteoarthritis.
This could potentially enable clinicians to include a test for HA
within a normal blood work up.
For further information contact
John Lincoln
Mesophotonics Ltd.
2 Venture Road, Chilworth Science Park, Southampton, Hampshire, SO16
7NP.
Tel: +44 (0) 23 8076 3752 Fax: +44 (0) 23 8076 3757
email: sales@mesophotonics.com |
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