Gold Nanosensors Can Be Implanted in the Body to Continuously Monitor for Blood Clots and Trace Proteins
When it comes to gold we generally associate higher quantities with higher values, but UK researchers are finding the precious metal can be invaluable in very small doses as well. Scientists in Scotland have devised a novel way to continuously monitor for blood clots with a little bit of gold and a laser. In the UK alone, blood clots claim 25,000 lives each year, but testing for clots is time-consuming -- which can be seriously problematic if indeed there is a clot -- and expensive. The current test requires a multi-step process in which fluorescent antibodies are used to identify thrombin, a biomarker associated with blood clots. But aside from the aforementioned logistical problems with fluorescent tagging, it also tends to be a bit inaccurate. Related ArticlesUltrasound Beams Could Destroy Stroke-Causing Blood Clots in the BrainMagnetic Nanoparticles Provide Targeted Drug ReleaseMulti-Tasking Nanoparticle Diagnoses and Fights Cancer SimultaneouslyTagsScience, Clay Dillow, blood clot, cell...