University of Arizona researchers have developed a groundbreaking new biological sensing method that can detect substances at the zeptomolar level, opening up new possibilities for drug testing, environmental monitoring, and early disease detection.
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But the researchers have come up with a new technique called Frequency Locked Optical Whispering Evanescent Resonator (FLOWER) to sense target molecules at incredibly low concentrations — single-digit zeptomolar. That type of sensitivity is revolutionary and gives the ability to disrupt areas like drug discovery, environmental monitoring and early disease detection.
At bottom, the FLOWER device consists of a glass doughnut-shaped microtoroid (core, left), which is coated with chemical compounds capable of binding to target compounds. And when these target compounds are present, the wavelength of resonance light passing through the microtoroid shifts just a bit, allowing scientists to detect their presence at incredibly low levels. This new label-free method that does not need any kind of fluorescent tags or radioactive labels for the detection of test analytes, which provide easy analysis and non-invasiveness compared with the other.
Opportunities for Innovation in Pharmaceutical Research
Pharmaceutical research is one of the most promising uses for the FLOWER device. For their experiments, the researchers selected G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) as the sensing compounds. GPCRs represent a class of 40% of all pharmaceutical drugs targets and are therefore one of the most important for drug discovery.
The revolutionary sensitivity of this FLOWER device is expected to enable scientists to detect interactions of drugs with receptors at concentrations lower than was possible beforehand. This means that it is a potential method to discover entirely novel drug candidates that may have been missed using less sensitive approaches. But as lead author Judith Su notes, “If you develop a drug that you think might work at a certain receptor, if it’s not an exceptionally high affinity, then most of the time you’re out of luck and can’t make a viable drug because the body can only tolerate so much drug. Such a capacity of the FLOWER device to readout low-affinity interactions may bring new prospects for finding innovative pharmaceutical compounds, which are potentially more potent and less addictive.
The label-free aspect of FLOWER allows researchers to accurately study the interaction between drugs and receptors in their natural state, as compared to using fluorescent or radioactive tags. Not only would this potentially allow identification of previously hidden early drug activity, but may also lead to a improved understanding of basic mechanisms of troubled binding and finally more effective DMD.
Conclusion
The invention of the FLOWER provides a significant advancement in biological sensing. Its unparalleled sensitivity coupled with its label free nature enables the creation of lateral flow biosensor that stands to open new doors in drug discovery, environmental monitoring and early disease detection. As the researchers work closer to unlocking all properties of this miraculous technology, we shall look forward to even more exciting insights into basic biological constituents and functions, and better human health and wellness.
