The advent of nanotechnology has led to exciting innovations across all fields of healthcare. While drug delivery and disease treatment are the most discussed medical applications of nanotechnology, recent studies published in Volume 12 Issue 3 of Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis highlight three innovations in nanotechnology that allow more efficient biomolecular detection for patient monitoring.
The first study, first made available online on September 16, 2021, describes the development of a nanosensor that allows highly sensitive electrochemical evaluation of rutin, an important anticancer compound. Most previous methods of rutin detection have only been effective under acidic conditions. However, they cannot be applied for rutin evaluation in clinical samples (non-acidic), which is necessary for drug monitoring and individualized drug delivery plans. A team of researchers solved this problem by combining 3D porous carbon (PC) and cobalt tungstate (CoWO4) nanosheets to obtain a nanosensor that detects rutin in clinical samples. They modified glass electrodes with this nanosensor and tested its efficacy in the electrochemical detection of rutin in human serum samples. They found that this nanodetector offered high sensitivity and could detect rutin concentrations as low as 0.45 ng/mL. Hence, the PC/CoWO4-based sensor showed potential as an excellent tool for electroanalysis and can be used for developing new laboratory devices for faster clinical decision-making.
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