New Delhi, June 30 || Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a simple sensor that is cost-effective and can enable faster detection of liver cancer.
The team focussed on the potential of terbium -- a rare earth metal -- to develop a unique luminescent probe that can sense the presence of an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase.
While its core function is to break down a sugar acid called glucuronic acid, the enzyme also doubles as a critical biomarker for liver cancer.
An increase in beta-glucuronidase levels has been associated with the risk of colon, breast, and renal cancers, as well as infections of the urinary tract and AIDS.
Thus, the novel sensor offers a potentially powerful screening tool against different types of cancers, neonatal jaundice, and NSAID-induced toxicity, said the researchers.
“Conventional methods of colorimetry and fluorescence for detecting such enzymes are often restricted by sensitivity or interference from background signals. The ability of rare earth metals to have long-lived excited states allows us to filter out short-lived background fluorescence, resulting in a much clearer signal,” said Ananya Biswas, former PhD student at IISc and co-first author of the paper published in the journal Chemistry, on Monday.