Search Here

Monitoring the drug concentration in patients is considered vital for an effective treatment. However the options available right now are limited, costly and time consuming. 

In a new research, researchers have introduced a novel light-emitting sensor proteins that can quickly and simply show how much a drug is flowing in a patient's bloodstream by changing the color of their light. 

Researchers noted that the method is so simple that it could be used by patients themselves. 

The novel biosensor molecule can quickly and accurately measure drug concentration with the help of just a digital camera. 

The feat has been made possible with the help of innovative protein engineering and organic chemistry. The method accurately worked on a range of common drugs for cancer, epilepsy and immunosuppression. 

"This system is a cheap, effective solution for customizing drug dosage in patients across a whole array of diseases", said Rudolf Griss, one of the authors. The successful achievement has encouraged him and co-author Alberto Schena to develop a start-up company in order to streamline and commercialize the innovation, the press release added. "We envision a simple, hand-held detector where the patient can take a pin-prick of blood and can have an immediate reading of free drug concentration in their system - much like diabetics do now for blood glucose."

Researchers published their study in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.