I-Corps: A Super-Sensitive, Real-Time Sensor for Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种传感器，用于实时检测活性氧物种(ROS)，ROS是一种可能导致衰老、癌症和神经退行性疾病的自由基。目前，还没有针对ROS的标准测量方案，导致对生物标记物的解释和临床诊断混淆。开发了一种高灵敏度、实时检测ROS的传感器，与现有方法相比具有显著的优势。这种传感器可能会改进目前的临床和美容实践，并有助于预防与自由基有关的疾病。这项技术还可能提供一种测量自由基的工业标准方案，这将有助于获得更可靠的结果。这项技术还可用于食品包装和食品分销行业，以监测食品中的化学和微生物污染。此外，它还可能具有环境应用，因为该传感器可以帮助在受污染的地下水修复的高级氧化过程中更好地控制自由基。这个i-Corps项目是基于开发一种用于检测活性氧物种(ROS)的超灵敏传感器。这项技术包括一种用复合材料修饰的电极，该复合材料由固定在高导电性碳载体上的超小氧化铈纳米颗粒组成。利用氧化铈对羟基自由基的强烈亲和力，研制了一种用于实时检测的复合型传感器。样品与传感器相互作用产生的阻抗信号被用来检测ROS的类型和浓度，与其他方法的检测下限为0.006-10 mm相比，检测下限低至0.006 mm的羟基自由基。使用3D打印机设计和制造了一种手持检测设备，并已在体外对各种液体和组织样本进行了成功测试。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a sensor for the real-time detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are free radicals that can lead into aging, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, there is no standard measuring protocol for ROS, causing mixed interpretation and clinical diagnoses of biomarkers. A highly sensitive, real-time sensor for ROS was developed with significant advantages over existing methods. This sensor may improve current clinical and cosmetic practices and help in the prevention of diseases associated with free radicals. This technology also may provide an industrial standard protocol for measuring free radicals, which would contribute to more reliable results. This technology also may be used in food packaging and food distributing industries for monitoring chemical and microbial contamination in food. In addition, it also may have environmental applications, as the sensor could help to provide better control of the free radicals in the advanced oxidation process for contaminated groundwater remediation. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a super-sensitive sensor for the detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The technology consists of an electrode modified with a composite comprising ultra-small cerium oxide nanoparticles anchored to a highly conductive carbon support. The strong affinity of cerium oxide toward hydroxyl free radicals was used to develop a composite sensor for real-time detection. The impedance signal generated from the interaction between the sample and the sensor is used to detect the type and concentration of ROS, with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 0.006 mM of hydroxyl free radicals, as compared to LODs of 0.1-10 mM with other methods. A hand-held detection device has been designed and fabricated using a 3D printer, and this has been successfully tested in various liquid and tissue samples in vitro.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.