Sensor technology uses the plane and nature machines to monitor metabolism in the body

The essential functions of life are fueled by a set of compounds called metabolites, which are involved in all natural processes, including energy production, regulation of cell activity and the maintenance of body systems in balance. Monitoring these molecules offers a window on the start and status of many diseases, overall health, the response to treatment and complex functioning of biological systems.

However, today’s metabolite detection methods fail. Most are based on high -intensity laboratory tests that only give instant briefs from isolated samples. The few sensors that can follow metabolites are largely limited to the detection of blood sugar detection.

An interdisciplinary research team led by California Nanosystems Institute of UCLA, or CNSI, may have overcome these limits. In a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesThe researchers have demonstrated a sensor technology Based on natural biochemical processes which have been able to measure several metabolites in a continuously and reliably and reliably measure from a wide range of options.

“To understand how metabolites affect biological processes or reflect health, we must monitor different groups of metabolites according to our specific interest,” said the main corresponding author Sam Emainejad, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and member of the CNSI.

“We have therefore aimed to develop a sensor platform which can be applied to a wide range of metabolites while ensuring reliable functioning in the body – and for that, we have exploited natural metabolic processes.”

He considers this technology not to replace current laboratory methods such as mass spectrometryBut as a complementary tool. Scientists could continue to use mass spectrometers to identify potential interest compounds, then use the sensor to monitor them in living systems.

The sensors trigger chemical reactions to widen the menu of detected metabolites

The sensors are built on low -cylinders called nanotubes carbon carbon nanotubes. These electrodes operate as miniature biochemistry laboratories, using enzymes and auxiliary molecules called COFACTORS to make reactions that reflect the metabolic processes of the body. According to the target metabolite, the sensors detect it directly or convert it first into a detectable form through a chain of intermediate enzymatic reactions.

Detection works through enzymes that specifically catalyze electron exchange reactions. On the surface of the electrodes, these reactions generate an electric current which can be measured to determine the levels of metabolites. Meanwhile, other enzymes work in parallel to prevent false signals by neutralizing the interference molecules, as well as the way in which the enzymes detoxify substances in our body.

To reflect this ability to execute several reactions in sequence and in parallel, the research team calls for its technology “sensors based on tandem reaction” or TMR sensors for short.

“Decades of research have mapped the natural metabolic pathways connecting metabolites to specific enzymatic reactions,” said Emainejad. “By adapting enzymes and cofactors carefully selected for different functions, our electrodes reproduce these complex reactions, allowing reliable detection of a much wider set of metabolites than conventional sensors.

“Robustness comes from the evolution itself – the enzymes and the cofactors, refined on tens of millions of years, are very sensitive, specific and stable. We exploit the plane of nature and the molecular machines of nature to follow the very biochemical processes they support.”

Traditional enzymatic sensors mainly support reactions in a single step without cofactors. By incorporating cofactors, the TMR sensors can directly detect more than 800 metabolites and, with a single conversion step, cover more than two thirds of the body’s metabolites.

“The TMR electrode has additional special characteristics for high performance biodetection,” said Xuanbing Cheng, study co-pritif and UCLA postdoctoral scholar in the interconnected and integrated bioelectronic laboratory of Emaminejad.

“Made from single wall carbon nanotubes, it offers a large active area for loading enzymes and cofactors. The reactions occur effectively at low voltage, reducing unwanted secondary reactions while maximizing the usefulness of enzymatic activity.

In a series of experiences, researchers have demonstrated the ability of technology to measure continuously and with high sensitivity a set of samples of 12 clinically important metabolites. The team has measured metabolites in the sweaty and saliva samples of patients receiving treatment for epilepsy and people with conditions resembling diabetes. Researchers have also detected a metabolite derived from intestinal bacteria in the brain which could cause neurological disorders if it accumulates.

Potential applications of metabolite sensors for health, research and industry

The capacity of sensors to follow a wide range of metabolites through different biological contexts opens up new doors for human health and scientific discovery. They could transform care for metabolic and cardiovascular disorders by allowing early, precise diagnostics and by adapting treatments to the unique metabolic profile of an individual. Technology could also optimize physical form and sporting performance by following the way in which the body metabolizes energy under different conditions.

In drug developmentThe sensors could provide real -time information on how therapies influence metabolic pathways – the evaluation of cancer drugs that block tumor growth by inhibiting enzymatic activity to follow the production of bacterial metabolites to optimize antibiotics.

Beyond medicine, these sensors could support industrial processes by providing continuous feedback to improve the performance and efficiency of engineering microbes used to produce pharmaceuticals, biofuels and other precious chemicals.

Among the many possibilities, Emaminejad is particularly enthusiastic about the potential of technology to help disentangle the intestinal brain connection – an emerging border in biomedical research. The team is now focusing on adapting its platform to tackle unanswered research issues and to pursue new diagnostic opportunities.

“A major challenge in understanding how the intestine and the brain influence each other consists in capturing changes over time,” he said. “A tool that follows continuous metabolites, rather than relying on single laboratory measures, could help reveal this bidirectional communication.

“We are finally equipped to test important hypotheses that lacked key data, which allows us to better understand how intestinal activity has an impact on overall health, the conduct of inflammation and the integration of mental well-being in the formation of the progression of chronic disease.”