Researchers from South Korea have successfully developed a wearable sensor that can detect illegal
The technology provides fast andhighly sensitive drug detection. The sensor is attached to the skin for a specified period of time, and then it is irradiated with light for testing. The whole process will take just one minute.
Traditional drug discovery processrequires a sophisticated method to extract suspected drug components from biological samples, including hair, blood, and urine, and then analyze by gas or liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry. This takes more time and requires a large room for the instrument and skilled personnel. Although rapid kits can detect drugs in urine, they only detect one component in one test. In addition, they have low sensitivity.
In the case of athletes, testing is carried out foranti-doping drugs to detect prohibited substances in the blood and urine. Blood tests are often avoided due to concerns about decreased athletic performance, and urinalysis can be a human rights violation as a specialist must monitor an athlete's urination. At major sporting events such as the Olympic Games, it is difficult to test all participants.
The researchers focused on sweat thatcan be explored non-aggressively. However, only a small amount of substances are released with it, so a highly sensitive sensor technology had to be developed for better detection.
In a highly sensitive touch sensorthe technology of surface Raman scattering was used, capable of amplifying the Raman signal of chemicals by 1000 times or more. Since the Raman signal includes a specific signal from the molecules, intuitive identification of a substance is possible regardless of the type of preparation.
To develop a wearable optical sensorthe researchers drew attention to the cocoon protein, a flexible and wearable material. A solution of fibroin, a natural protein, was extracted from the silkworm cocoon to obtain a 160 nanometer (nm) thick film. The film is coated with a 250 nanometer (nm) silver nanowire and transferred to a medical plaster that can be attached to the skin.
Once the patch absorbs sweat, the medicinalthe substance contained in sweat penetrates the wearable sensor and reaches the silver nanowire. By irradiating the patch with a Raman laser, the drug can be detected in real time without removing the sensor.
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Fibroin is a fibrillar protein secreted by arachnids and some insects and forms the basis of spider webs and insect cocoons, in particular, silk of the silkworm Bombyx mori.
Raman spectroscopy (spectroscopyRaman scattering) is a type of spectroscopy, which is based on the ability of the studied systems (molecules) to inelastic (Raman, or Raman) scattering of monochromatic light.