Researchers at Northwestern University have unveiled a groundbreaking implantable device capable of monitoring fluctuating protein levels in the body in real time. These shaking sensors can continuously monitor protein markers of inflammation.
This innovative technology, inspired by the natural process of fruit detaching from trees, utilizes strands of DNA that attach to proteins, shake them off, and then capture new ones, allowing for continuous sampling of various proteins over time.
Proof-of-Concept Success
In initial experiments, the device demonstrated high accuracy and sensitivity in measuring inflammatory protein biomarkers in diabetic rats. This advancement lays the groundwork for real-time management and prevention of both acute and chronic health conditions by tracking critical proteins, including cytokines associated with inflammation and biomarkers relevant to heart failure.
A New Era of Monitoring
Shana O. Kelley, the study’s lead researcher and a professor at Northwestern, likened the device’s functionality to that of a continuous glucose monitor. “Just as you can see your glucose levels fluctuate in real time, we need to track protein fluctuations to understand what’s happening in the body,” Kelley explained. “This capability opens up numerous applications for monitoring health.”
Innovative Design Inspired by Nature
The challenge of creating sensors for larger and more complex proteins has been significant. Traditional DNA receptors tend to hold onto proteins too tightly, preventing real-time measurement. However, inspired by the concept of shaking apples from a tree, postdoctoral fellow Hossein Zargartalebi developed a method using an alternating electric field to oscillate the DNA strands, effectively releasing the captured proteins and resetting the sensor for new measurements.
Implantation and Testing
The team constructed a microdevice that houses these sensors within a thin microneedle, similar in width to three human hairs. After implanting this device into diabetic rats, they successfully monitored changes in inflammatory protein levels as the rats fasted or received insulin. The sensors accurately reflected cytokine concentration changes in response to immune system stimulation.
Future Applications
Kelley envisions broader applications for this technology beyond inflammation monitoring. For instance, it could be used to track protein markers associated with heart failure, enabling proactive adjustments to treatment regimens based on real-time data.
“With continuous monitoring, doctors could adjust treatments before symptoms worsen,” Kelley noted. “This could revolutionize patient care much like continuous glucose monitoring has done for diabetes.”
The Significance of Continuous Monitoring
This breakthrough represents a significant step toward understanding inflammation better—one of the most complex phenomena in human health. Traditional methods rely on periodic blood tests that provide snapshots rather than continuous data. By enabling real-time monitoring of protein levels, this technology could help clinicians intervene earlier in inflammatory diseases and conditions like diabetes and heart failure.
This study will be published in the journal Science and represents a significant leap forward in biomedical engineering and patient monitoring technologies.