Sensor technology uses natures blueprint and machinery to monitor metabolism in body

Today's metabolite sensing methods fall short. Most rely on resource-intensive lab tests that give only brief snapshots from isolated samples. The few sensors that can track metabolites continuously are largely limited to detecting blood sugar.

An interdisciplinary research team led by the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, or CNSI, may have overcome these limitations. In a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers demonstrated a sensor technology based on natural biochemical processes that was able to continuously and reliably measure multiple metabolites at once from a wide range of options.

"To understand how metabolites affect biological processes or reflect health, we need to monitor different groups of metabolites based on our specific interest," said senior corresponding author Sam Emaminejad, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and a CNSI member.

The sensors are built onto electrodes made of tiny cylinders called single-wall carbon nanotubes. These electrodes function like miniature biochemistry labs, using enzymes and helper molecules called cofactors to perform reactions that mirror the body's metabolic processes. Depending on the target metabolite, the sensors either detect it directly or first convert it into a detectable form through a chain of intermediary enzymatic reactions.

Image source: Xuanbing Cheng and Zongqi Li/Emaminejad Lab.