Precise nanotechnology biosensor developed

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Jan. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've created a precise nanotechnology biosensor for detecting blood glucose and potentially many other biological molecules.

The device, which resembles a tiny cube-shaped tetherball, uses hollow structures called single-wall carbon nanotubes anchored to gold-coated "nanocubes."

Each tetherball is a sensor and is anchored to electronic circuitry by a nanotube, which acts as both a tether and ultrathin wire to conduct electrical signals, said Purdue University Professor Timothy Fisher, who led the research.

He said the technology detects glucose more precisely than any biosensors in development and might also be used in medicine to detect other types of biological molecules and in future biosensors for scientific research,

"It might be part of a catheter to continuously monitor blood glucose for diabetics," said Associate Professor Marshall Porterfield. "And it might have many other applications, including basic scientific research to study diseases and biological processes."

The research appears in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano.