Researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) have developed a device that allows the detection of minimal dopamine concentrations in low-volume samples, helping to combat neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.
The research, published in the scientific journal Journal of Nanobiotechnology, made it possible to develop an “innovative device” capable of “precisely” detecting minimal concentrations of dopamine in low-volume biological samples, the FMUP said in a statement on Monday.
The biosensor will promote the development of new means of early diagnosis, as well as clinical follow-up in some neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.
Mentioned in the statement, the researchers Luís Jacinto and Patrícia Monteiro clarify that the measurement of dopamine concentrations in the brain is “of great importance for the development of new means of diagnosis and therapy in some neurological diseases.”
“Abnormal changes in the levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which plays an essential role in the human brain such as motor function and memory, can have serious consequences and lead to brain disorders such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s,” they point out.
The sensitivity of the new device, based on graphene transistors, will also be important for the design of new techniques to monitor dopamine flux in preclinical models for academic and pharmaceutical research.
The project, financed with one million euros by the La Caixa Foundation, has relied on a multidisciplinary team of specialists in neurosciences, molecular biology, physics and physical engineering, biomedical engineering and materials engineering and medicine.
In addition to the FMUP researchers, the development and validation of the biosensor had the collaboration of the International Iberian Institute of Nanotechnology (INL) and the Institute for Research in Life and Health Sciences, of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Minho.
The “NeuralGRAB” project, which aims to develop a bioelectronic platform to measure various neurotransmitters involved in neurological diseases, such as dopamine and serotonin, also included the participation of the Center for Astrobiology of the Higher Council for Scientific Research, in Madrid.
Source: TSF
