Chipped teeth, or how to diagnose periodontal disease using a microchip

Did you ever imagine there would come a time when you could self-diagnose major diseases at home, much like using a home pregnancy test? That day has come one step closer, according to an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Herr et al, doi:10.1073/pnas.0607254104). It all happened when an oral research and dentistry group at the University of Michigan combined forces with the Biosystems Research Department at Sandia National Laboratories to develop a microfluidics chip that can detect dental disease.

Point-of-care (POC) diagnostics are already part of our every day live. Home pregnancy tests, blood glucose monitors, and sexually transmitted diseases kits are globally used thanks to their fast results. POC tools measure characteristics symptomatic of a particular pathology, known as biomarkers. For example, a high cholesterol level combined with increased blood pressure is indicative of cardiovascular disease.
So how does this chip really work? It detects periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory oral disease caused by bacterial plaque depositions on our teeth. The microchip uses a salivary protein, called matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MM-8), as its biomarker. First, a fluorescent antibody, able bind to MM-8, is loaded onto a porous polyacrylamide gel that forms part of the chip. A mere 20 microlitres of saliva provided by a patient is then poured into the device. MM-8 present in the sample complexes with the antibody, becoming fluorescent itself. An electric potential is subsequently applied to the gel. Charged molecules will separate in bands depending on their size and charge; biochemists routinely use this technique, known as electrophoresis. The distinct bands can finally be identified by fluorescence and the amount of MM-8/antibody fluorescent complex is quantified against standards also present in the gel. High concentrations of MM-8 in saliva are thus indicative of periodontal disease.

The oral diagnostics area is so hot right now that the New York Academy of Sciences is published an entire volume on it (Oral Based Diagnostics, Volume 1098, March 2007, ISBN 1-57331-661-X) with articles from leading scientists, including researchers at the USA National Institute of Health. Tests based on blood have traditionally been considered to convey more information on systemic diseases, like cancer and HIV. However, advances such as this periodontitis chip guide us towards a future where commercially available kits could provide results rapidly, cost-effectively and chiefly from minute sample volumes.

À Propos

Light existentialism: when should I turn on the lights?

It's so gloomy and dark today and it's only 11 am. I have the lights on but there is always this conundrum for me, when do you turn on the lights during the day? It's supposed to be late morning and still light but I can't see enough to read. What's more important: one's comfort (perhaps not going blind) or staying true to social form and turning on the lights when the sun goes down?

Επειδή το κλίμα στην Ελλάδα είναι πολύ βαρύ, ένα τραγούδι που ταιριάζει.

About Greece

As I have been contemplating the thought of moving back to Greece at some not-so-distant future, I read this great post that everyone considering emigrating to my beautiful home country should read:
http://anatomyofmelancholy.wordpress.com/2005/02/15/for-sale-cushy-job-cigarettes-coffee-essential/

"obsessions are like sex, simple and complex" Suede

Thesis, thesis, thesis. It is so tedious that I deeply enjoy it. Today, I re-discovered my passion for the new wave french cinema movement. These auters really knew how to create a dreamy sequence. One more thing, they definetely knew was how to pick their women. My absolute favourite: Anouk Aimée. What a beauty!

( Picture from http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-A-Ba/Aim-e-Anouk.html)

new beginnings

After an xmas break of epic proportions, I am trying to get back into the thesis mode. I hope this year is better than 2007, that personally fucked me up in any way possible esp. my health. So happy new beginnings to everyone, and don't forget that today could be the start of something amazing and beautiful.