Diagnostics
Press Releases
Georgia Tech and Emory University researchers first to image hydrogen peroxide in animals: Nanoparticle Could Help Detect Many Diseases Early
August 20, 2007 — Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University researchers are the first to create a nanoparticle capable of detecting and imaging trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide in animals. The nanoparticles could someday be used as a simple, all-purpose diagnostic tool to detect the earliest stages of any disease that involves chronic inflammation — everything from cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease to arthritis.
Georgia Tech Researchers Help Shut Down Drug Counterfeiters: New techniques developed to test suspected fake anti-malarials
February 13, 2008 — Georgia Institute of Technology researchers were part of a three-continent, multi-organizational effort known as "Operation Jupiter" that successfully identified and shut down manufacturers who were flooding Southeast Asia with counterfeit — and ineffective — anti-malarial drugs. Beyond the human health cost of failing to effectively treat hundreds of thousands of malaria cases, the fake drugs could be fueling development of malarial strains that may become resistant to the most sophisticated drug now available to treat the disease, notably artesunate.
Researchers Create Dual-modality Microbeads To Identify Disease Biomarkers
February 14, 2007 — Analyzing human blood for a very low virus concentration or a sample of water for a bioterrorism agent has always been a time-consuming and difficult process. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University have developed an easier and faster method to detect these types of target molecules in liquid samples using highly porous, micron-sized, silica beads. The researchers developed a technique to add optical and magnetic nanoparticles into the beads. Adding magnetic nanoparticles allows the use of a magnetic field to attract and easily remove the beads from a liquid sample.
Gold Nanoprobes May Allow Earlier Cancer Detection
December 28, 2007 — Using tiny gold particles embedded with dyes, scientists at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have shown that they can identify tumors under the skin of a living animal. These tools may allow doctors to detect and diagnose cancer earlier and less invasively. Studded with antibody fragments called ScFv peptides that bind cancer cells, the gold particles grab onto tumors after their injection. When illuminated with a laser beam, the tumor-bound particles send back a signal that is specific to the dye.
New Decontamination System Kills Anthrax Rapidly
Combination X-ray and ultraviolet-c system leaves no lingering effects
January 29, 2008 — Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), in collaboration Stellar Micro Devices, Inc., have developed prototypes of a rapid, non-disruptive and less expensive method that could be used to decontaminate bioterrorism hazards in the future.
Fast AFM Probes Simultaneously Measure Topography, Adhesion, Stiffness, Elasticity And Viscosity
April 15, 2008 — New research demonstrates that novel probe technology based on flexible membranes can replace conventional atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilevers for applications such as fast topographic imaging, quantitative material characterization and single molecule mechanics measurements. In collaboration with Cheng Zhu, Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Professor Degertekin is using the probe to measure the force between two interacting biological molecules and unbinding forces between two molecules.
New Biosensor Detects Avian Influenza Virus
Field-deployable unit detects virus in minutes, not days
September 27, 2007 — Quick identification of avian influenza infection in poultry is critical to controlling outbreaks, but current detection methods can require several days to produce results. A new biosensor developed at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) can detect avian influenza in just minutes. In addition to being a rapid test, the biosensor is economical, field-deployable, sensitive to different viral strains and requires no labels or reagents.