Research & Development World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Shellfish-Derived Material Could Boost Medical Test Sensitivity

By Ryan Bushey | July 18, 2017

An artistic rendering of a virus particle (light blue, foreground) bound by brightly-colored reporter molecules in a common laboratory assay.Junwei Li/Xiaohu Gao

An unconventional substance could be the key to boosting the accuracy of certain medical diagnostics.

Researchers from the University of Washington discovered a chemical isolated from shellfish called polydopamine could elevate the sensitivity of common bioassays used in laboratory research by as many as 100 to 1,000 times compared to the usual readings.

The team’s approach, led by University of Washington bioengineering professor Xiaohu Gao, is called enzyme-accelerated signal enhancement (EASE), which essentially entails adding two biochemical components at a key step of the diagnostic process. The components are dopamine and horseradish peroxidase, or HRP.

HRP is a common protein enzyme used to expedite the rate of reactions in biomedical research, but the scientists found HRP can link dopamine molecules together to form a polymer chain called polydopamine. Polydopamine can accumulate on the surface of reaction vessels like small petri dishes.

Assays used in common medical and laboratory tests are ELISA microassays and immunochemistry imaging. These tools have helped detect the signatures of disease or ailment by analyzing a patient’s blood or similar fluid to see telltale markers like pieces of a virus or antibodies formed by white blood cells.

This small modification was used on assays for detecting the presence of the Zika virus in the placental tissue of primates. Incorporating the EASE method into this analysis made the assay so sensitive that the scientists were able to see which cell types within the placenta contained this infection.

“Scientists have been trying to improve the accuracy of these common tests for decades, but solutions often involve entirely new protocols or costly pieces of equipment,” said Gao in a statement. Understandably, researchers can be reluctant to invest in unfamiliar protocols or expensive new equipment — but EASE is a simple addition to tried-and-true assays. It’s like a software upgrade, instead of changing your operating system.”

Gao and his colleagues are unsure why adding polydopamine to these bioassays boosts their sensitivity, but they plan on conducting more research to hone in on this specific mechanism as well as attempt to apply EASE to more diagnostic tests and diseases.

The study was published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Related Articles Read More >

professional photo of wooly mammoth in nature --ar 2:1 --personalize sq85hce --v 6.1 Job ID: 47185eaa-b213-4624-8bee-44f9e882feaa
Why science ethicists are sounding skepticism and alarm on ‘de-extinction’
ALAFIA system speeds complex molecular simulations for University of Miami drug research
3d rendered illustration of the anatomy of a cancer cell
Funding flows to obesity, oncology and immunology: 2024 sales data show where science is paying off
Health-related innovation in Morocco highlighted by resident inventor patenting activity
rd newsletter
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, trends, and strategies in Research & Development.
RD 25 Power Index

R&D World Digital Issues

Fall 2024 issue

Browse the most current issue of R&D World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading R&D magazine today.

Research & Development World
  • Subscribe to R&D World Magazine
  • Enews Sign Up
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing
  • Global Funding Forecast

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search R&D World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE