Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have developed a paper-based platform which could help quickly detect the presence of antibiotic-resistant, disease-causing bacteria.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a handful of such bacteria, including E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus, have caused over a million deaths, and these numbers are projected to rise in the coming years. Hence, timely diagnosis can improve the efficiency of treatment.
“Generally, the doctor diagnoses the patient and gives them medicines. The patient then takes it for two to three days before realising that the medicine is not working, and goes back to the doctor. Even diagnosing that the bacteria is antibiotic-resistant from blood or urine tests takes time. We wanted to reduce that time-to-diagnosis,” said Uday Maitra, Professor in the Department of Organic Chemistry, IISc.
In a paper published in ACS Sensors, Prof. Maitra’s lab and collaborators have addressed this challenge. They have developed a rapid diagnosis protocol that uses a luminescent paper-based platform to detect the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
There are different ways by which a bacterium becomes resistant to antibiotics.
In one, the bacterium evolves, and can recognise and eject the medicine out of its cell. In another, the bacterium produces an enzyme called β-lactamase, which hydrolyses the β-lactam ring – a key structural component of common antibiotics like penicillin and carbapenem – rendering the medication ineffective.
The approach developed by the IISc and JNCASR team involves incorporating biphenyl-4-carboxylic acid (BCA) within a supramolecular hydrogel matrix containing terbium cholate (TbCh). When scrutinised by UV light, this hydrogel emits green fluorescence.
Schematic depicting the detection of antibiotic-resistance bacteria | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The team also collaborated with Adiuvo Diagnostics, a Tamil Nadu-based company, to design a customised, portable and miniature imaging device, named Illuminate Fluorescence Reader.
Infusing the hydrogel in a sheet of paper as the medium reduced the cost significantly. The instrument is fitted with different LEDs that shine UV radiation, as required. Green fluorescence from the enzyme is captured by a built-in camera. A dedicated software app measures the intensity, which can help quantify the bacterial load.
The team from IISc tied up with Jayanta Haldar’s research group from JNCASR to check their approach on urine samples.
As the next step, the researchers plan to tie up with hospitals to test this technology with samples from patients.
Published - February 15, 2024 02:50 pm IST
