New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Nano-sized traps show promise in diagnosing pathogenic bacterial infections

New device could quickly detect disease-causing bacteria, save lives

Date:
July 30, 2018
Source:
McGill University
Summary:
A new type of 'lab on a chip' has the potential to become a clinical tool capable of detecting very small quantities of disease-causing bacteria in just minutes.
Share:
FULL STORY

A new type of "lab on a chip" developed by McGill University scientists has the potential to become a clinical tool capable of detecting very small quantities of disease-causing bacteria in just minutes.

The device designed by Sara Mahshid, Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at McGill, is made of nano-sized "islands," about one tenth of the thickness of a single human hair, which act as bacterial traps or snares.

In collaboration with colleagues from the University of Toronto, Professor Mahshid's team was able to demonstrate that the system is capable of analyzing very small volumes of culture media containing bacteria such as E. coli and a strain of S. aureus resistant to methicillin, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections.

Bacterial infections are blamed for 700,000 deaths a year, and successful treatment of many disease-causing infections depends largely on rapid detection. Unfortunately, it sometimes takes several days to confirm a diagnosis with the tools currently available to doctors.

"Speed is of the essence because some bacterial infections can cause serious health problems and sometimes lead to death," Mahshid says. "With a fluorescent microscope, the device we've developed can confirm the presence of bacteria in just a few minutes. I hope one day clinicians will use our device to deliver faster diagnostics, start treatment much more quickly and, ultimately, save lives."

Mahshid and her team, who just published their work in the journal Small, now hope to test their device on clinical samples, a necessary step before doctors are able to use such a device in a hospital setting. Theoretically, this new lab-on-a-chip, which is relatively inexpensive and easy to make, could also analyze samples from urine, blood or nasal swabs.


Story Source:

Materials provided by McGill University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Mahsa Jalali, Tamer AbdelFatah, Sahar Sadat Mahshid, Mahmoud Labib, Ayyappasamy Sudalaiyadum Perumal, Sara Mahshid. A Hierarchical 3D Nanostructured Microfluidic Device for Sensitive Detection of Pathogenic Bacteria. Small, 2018; 1801893 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201801893

Cite This Page:

McGill University. "Nano-sized traps show promise in diagnosing pathogenic bacterial infections." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 July 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180730120253.htm>.
McGill University. (2018, July 30). Nano-sized traps show promise in diagnosing pathogenic bacterial infections. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 10, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180730120253.htm
McGill University. "Nano-sized traps show promise in diagnosing pathogenic bacterial infections." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180730120253.htm (accessed December 10, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES