(Press-News.org) Nearly every modern cellphone has a built-in compass, or magnetometer, that detects the direction of Earth’s magnetic field, providing critical information for navigation. Now a team of researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a technique that uses an ordinary cellphone magnetometer for an entirely different purpose — to measure the concentration of glucose, a marker for diabetes, to high accuracy.
The same technique, which uses the magnetometer in conjunction with magnetic materials designed to change their shape in response to biological or environmental cues, could be used to rapidly and cheaply measure a host of other biomedical properties for monitoring or diagnosing human disease. The method also has the potential to detect environmental toxins, said NIST scientist Gary Zabow.
In their proof-of-concept study, Zabow and fellow NIST researcher Mark Ferris clamped to a cellphone a tiny well containing the solution to be tested and a strip of hydrogel — a porous material that swells when immersed in water. The researchers embedded tiny magnetic particles within the hydrogel, which they had engineered to react either to the presence of glucose or to pH levels (a measure of acidity) by expanding or contracting. Changing pH levels can be associated with a variety of biological disorders.
As the hydrogels enlarged or shrunk, they moved the magnetic particles closer to or farther from the cellphone’s magnetometer, which detected the corresponding changes in the strength of the magnetic field. Employing this strategy, the researchers measured glucose concentrations as small as a few millionths of a mole (the scientific unit for a certain number of atoms or molecules in a substance). Although such high sensitivity is not required for at-home monitoring of glucose levels using a drop of blood, it might in the future enable routine testing for glucose in saliva, which contains a much smaller concentration of the sugar.
The researchers reported their findings in the March 30, 2024 edition of Nature Communications.
Engineered, or “smart,” hydrogels like the ones the NIST team employed are inexpensive and relatively easy to fabricate, Ferris said, and can be tailored to react to a host of different compounds that medical researchers may want to measure. In their experiments, he and Zabow stacked single layers of two different hydrogels, each of which contracted and expanded at different rates in response to pH or glucose. These bilayers amplified the motion of the hydrogels, making it easier for the magnetometer to track changes in magnetic field strength.
Because the technique does not require any electronics or power source beyond that of the cellphone nor call for any special processing of the sample, it offers an inexpensive way to conduct testing — even in locations with relatively few resources.
Future efforts to improve the accuracy of such measurements using cellphone magnetometers might allow detection of DNA strands, specific proteins and histamines — compounds involved in the body’s immune response — at concentrations as low as a few tens of nanomoles (billionths of a mole).
That improvement could have substantial benefit. For instance, measuring histamines, which are typically detected in urine at concentrations ranging from about 45 to 190 nanomoles, would ordinarily require a 24-hour urine collection and a sophisticated laboratory analysis.
“An at-home test using a cellphone magnetometer sensitive to nanomolar concentrations would allow measurements to be done with much less hassle,” said Ferris. More generally, enhanced sensitivity would be essential when only a small amount of a substance is available for testing in extremely dilute quantities, Zabow added.
Similarly, the team’s study suggests that a cellphone magnetometer can measure pH levels with the same sensitivity as a thousand-dollar benchtop meter but at a fraction of the cost. A home-brewer or a baker could use the magnetometer to quickly test the pH of various liquids to perfect their craft, and an environmental scientist could measure the pH of ground water samples on-site with higher accuracy than a litmus test strip could provide.
In order to make the cellphone measurements a commercial success, engineers will need to develop a method to mass produce the hydrogel test strips and ensure that they have a long shelf life, Zabow said. Ideally, he added, the hydrogel strips should be designed to react more quickly to environmental cues in order to speed up measurements.
END
NIST researchers use cellphone compass to measure tiny concentrations of compounds important for human health
Smartphones can now measure glucose, a key marker for diabetes, as well as other molecules and biomarkers.
2024-04-01
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Frisch to conduct research on healing the traumatized body in second temple Judaism
2024-04-01
Frisch To Conduct Research On Healing The Traumatized Body In Second Temple Judaism
Alexandria ...
Reducing late-night alcohol sales curbed all violent crimes by 23% annually in a Baltimore neighborhood
2024-04-01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 1, 2024
Contact:
Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu
Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu
##
Reducing Late-Night Alcohol Sales Curbed All Violent Crimes by 23% Annually in a Baltimore Neighborhood
A new study found that reducing alcohol hours of sale for bars and taverns in a Baltimore, Md. neighborhood also reduced homicides by 51 percent within the first month and by 40 percent annually, pointing to possible opportunities for other cities to address excessive drinking and crime.
Simply reducing the hours during which alcohol may be purchased can significantly reduce violent crime, ...
Altered brain morphology and functional connectivity in postmenopausal women
2024-04-01
“[...] our findings suggest that diminished brain volume and functional connectivity may be linked to menopause-related symptoms caused by the lower sex hormone levels.”
BUFFALO, NY- April 1, 2024 – A new research paper was published on the cover of Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 6, entitled, “Altered brain morphology and functional connectivity in postmenopausal women: automatic segmentation of whole-brain and thalamic subnuclei ...
UIC engineers ‘symphonize’ cleaner ammonia production
2024-04-01
Among the many chemicals we use every day, ammonia is one of the worst for the atmosphere. The nitrogen-based chemical used in fertilizer, dyes, explosives and many other products ranks second only to cement in terms of carbon emissions, due to the high temperatures and energy needed to manufacture it.
But by improving on a well-known electrochemical reaction and orchestrating a “symphony” of lithium, nitrogen and hydrogen atoms, University of Illinois Chicago engineers led by Meenesh Singh have developed a new ammonia production processthat meets several green targets.
The process, called ...
Old crystal, new story for enhancing deep ultraviolet laser performance
2024-04-01
In the realm of science and technology, harnessing coherent light sources in the deep ultraviolet (DUV) region holds immense significance across various applications such as lithography, defect inspection, metrology, and spectroscopy. Traditionally, high-power 193-nanometer (nm) lasers have been pivotal in lithography, forming an integral part of systems used for precise patterning. However, the coherence limitations associated with conventional ArF excimer lasers hinder their effectiveness in applications requiring high-resolution patterns, like interference lithography.
Enter the concept of the "hybrid ArF excimer laser." ...
April issues of APA journals cover treatment for irritability in youth, collaborative psychopharmacology, disparities in use of restraint, and more
2024-04-01
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 1, 2024 — The latest issues of three American Psychiatric Association journals, The American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services and The American Journal of Psychotherapy are now available online.
The April issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry features studies that focus on youth psychopathology. Highlights include:
Promising clinical results and neuroimaging findings seen in a double-blind trial of intranasal oxytocin for irritability. (AJP Deputy Editor Danny Pine highlights the study in this video and lead author Soonjo Hwang is the featured guest on April’s AJP Audio podcast episode.)
A critical integrative review of irritability ...
I spy with my speedy eye – scientists discover speed of visual perception ranges widely in humans
2024-04-01
Using a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it experiment, researchers from Trinity College Dublin have discovered that individuals differ widely in the rate at which they perceive visual signals. Some people perceive a rapidly changing visual cue at frequencies that others cannot, which means some access more visual information per timeframe than others.
This discovery uggests some people have an innate advantage in certain settings where response time is crucial, such as in ball sports, or in competitive ...
Reinventing computer vision to mimic human vision
2024-04-01
As computer vision (CV) systems become increasingly power and memory intensive, they become unsuitable for high-speed and resource deficit edge applications - such as hypersonic missile tracking and autonomous navigation - because of size, weight, and power constraints.
At the University of Pittsburgh, engineers are ushering in the next generation of computer vision systems by using neuromorphic engineering to reinvent visual processing systems with a biological inspiration - human vision.
Rajkumar Kubendran, assistant professor ...
Ancient Adélie penguin DNA reveals that small repeats persist for hundreds of millions of years
2024-04-01
Microsatellites are valuable tools for studying inheritance, genetic diversity, and population dynamics across a wide range of organisms including bacteria, plants, animals, and fungi. These short, repeating sequence motifs are a common feature of both coding and non-coding DNA and have been observed in all genomes studied to date. Their repetitive nature leads to “slippage” in the DNA replication machinery, resulting in the addition or subtraction of repeats that causes microsatellites to grow or shrink in length. Because of this, there is considerable variability ...
Applications open for 2024 Michelson prizes: $150,000 grants available to immunology innovators
2024-04-01
LOS ANGELES – Today, Michelson Medical Research Foundation (MMRF) and the Human Immunome Project (HIP) opened the application period for the 2024 Michelson Prizes: Next Generation Grants. The annual prizes award $150,000 research grants to early-career scientists advancing human immunology, vaccine discovery, and immunotherapy research for major global diseases.
The international prize supports high-risk, high-reward research poised to tackle global health crises and address current roadblocks in human vaccine development and our understanding of key immune processes.
“Securing funding for innovative research is a significant hurdle for young scientists, ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Antiretroviral drugs for treatment and prevention of HIV in adults: 2024 recommendations of the International Antiviral Society–USA Panel
Virginie McNamar appointed President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of SynGAP Research Fund (SRF) dba Cure SYNGAP1
Planetary boundaries: Confronting the global crisis of land degradation; Potsdam institute report opens UNCCD COP 16
VUMC and Philips landmark emissions assessment of a radiology department published in premier industry journal
When devices can read human emotions without a camera
Warming temperatures impact immune performance of wild monkeys, U-M study shows
Fine particulate air pollution may play a role in adverse birth outcomes
Sea anemone study shows how animals stay ‘in shape’
KIER unveils catalyst innovations for sustainable turquoise hydrogen solutions
Bacteria ditch tags to dodge antibiotics
New insights in plant response to high temperatures and drought
Strategies for safe and equitable access to water: a catalyst for global peace and security
CNIO opens up new research pathways against paediatric cancer Ewing sarcoma by discovering mechanisms that make it more aggressive
Disease severity staging system for NOTCH3-associated small vessel disease, including CADASIL
Satellite evidence bolsters case that climate change caused mass elephant die-off
Unique killer whale pod may have acquired special skills to hunt the world’s largest fish
Emory-led Lancet review highlights racial disparities in sudden cardiac arrest and death among athletes
A new approach to predicting malaria drug resistance
Coral adaptation unlikely to keep pace with global warming
Bioinspired droplet-based systems herald a new era in biocompatible devices
A fossil first: Scientists find 1.5-million-year-old footprints of two different species of human ancestors at same spot
The key to “climate smart” agriculture might be through its value chain
These hibernating squirrels could use a drink—but don’t feel the thirst
New footprints offer evidence of co-existing hominid species 1.5 million years ago
Moral outrage helps misinformation spread through social media
U-M, multinational team of scientists reveal structural link for initiation of protein synthesis in bacteria
New paper calls for harnessing agrifood value chains to help farmers be climate-smart
Preschool education: A key to supporting allophone children
CNIC scientists discover a key mechanism in fat cells that protects the body against energetic excess
Chemical replacement of TNT explosive more harmful to plants, study shows
[Press-News.org] NIST researchers use cellphone compass to measure tiny concentrations of compounds important for human healthSmartphones can now measure glucose, a key marker for diabetes, as well as other molecules and biomarkers.