Researchers from École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland and Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan have developed a way of imaging biochemicals in the body using electric current. The technique, named scanning electrochemical microscopy, has already been used to map out hemoglobin throughout a heart of a mouse. Other target molecules can also be used as natural imaging contrast agents, providing novel ways to analyze organs and tissues, with initial focus probably on cancerous lesions.
Their technique works via a device with eight flexible electrodes. It is placed, along with the object to be studied, in an electrolyte solution. The device then delivers a variety of electrical signals of different frequencies and amplitudes into the object’s tissue while measuring the response. When certain biomolecules begin to exchange electrons with the electrolyte, the overall charge of the solution changes and this can be detected. Because these events happen at known concentrations and energy levels, the system can provide the location and nature of the electrical discharges. This is rendered into a unique image using a computer. Pretty nifty and is essentially a new imaging modality that doesn’t require contrast agents nor ionizing radiation.
Study in Angewandte Chemie: Soft Electrochemical Probes for Mapping the Distribution of Biomarkers and Injected Nanomaterials in Animal and Human Tissues…
Via: EPFL…
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