A research team led by La Trobe University announced on Mar. 18 the development of a new sensor inspired by nature that can rapidly detect tiny molecular changes in blood, potentially enabling real-time, personalized medicine.
The innovation addresses a major challenge in blood testing: most sensors become clogged by blood, making it difficult to obtain accurate and instant readings over extended periods. The new approach could help clinicians monitor patients more effectively and adjust treatments as needed.
Working with CSIRO, the researchers combined a natural protective coating called lubricin, fast-responding receptors, and an ultra-sensitive light-based detection method known as Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS). This combination mimics how cell surfaces protect themselves while sensing molecules. In what they describe as a world-first, the team used SERS to detect the antibiotic Vancomycin in unprocessed blood samples without losing sensitivity during more than ten hours of continuous exposure.
"Blood is one of the hardest substances to measure anything in," said La Trobe University Associate Professor and research lead Wren Greene. "The secret to our sensor is its cell-like structure which filters the molecules from blood, enabling ultra-sensitive SERS detection."
Dr Mingyu Han from CSIRO said other sensors have detected Vancomycin but this new device is 100 million times more sensitive. "It solves long-standing challenges in sensitivity, response speed and surface fouling, opening the door to real-time molecular monitoring for personalised medicine," Han said.
To prevent contamination that often affects highly sensitive techniques like SERS, researchers created a microscopic shield using lubricin—a naturally occurring molecule provided by Lubris Biopharma—that prevents unwanted material from sticking to cell surfaces. Inside this layer are DNA-based receptors called aptamers that capture target molecules.
Greene said this discovery could lead to health systems capable of automatically adjusting drug delivery or warning clinicians before a patient's condition becomes dangerous. "Our sensor greatly expands the detection range, allowing us to measure hormones, toxins and other biomarkers that appear only at low concentrations. This is critical for early disease detection and monitoring the body's response to treatments," Greene said. "This discovery also advances the scientific field itself, demonstrating a way to overcome the long-standing trade-off between high sensitivity and fast response in molecular testing."
The research was conducted with Lubris Biopharma and La Trobe spinout company AlleSense and published in ACS Sensors journal. The sensor was built on AlleSense's NanoMslide platform. According to La Trobe Distinguished Professor Brian Abbey, AlleSense is working on establishing clinical-scale manufacturing at the university with hopes of developing an inexpensive test strip similar to those used for blood-glucose testing.
The project received support from the ARC Research Hub for Molecular Biosensors at Point-of-Use (MOBIUS).
