Specialists from Moscow State University (MSU) and the Gamaleya Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology have presented innovative nanosensors capable of rapidly determining the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. The development is based on porous silicon nanowires reinforced with bimetallic nanoparticles of gold and silver, which ensures high accuracy and speed of analysis.
As Lyubov Osminkina, Head of the Laboratory of the Department of Medical Physics at MSU, explained:
We have created a platform that combines high molecular sensitivity, signal reproducibility, and speed of obtaining results. Such systems have the potential to become the basis of compact diagnostic devices for rapid identification of bacterial infections and selection of effective antimicrobial therapy directly at the point of care.
The technology uses two optical methods:
- Interference analysis – records changes in optical thickness upon contact with bacteria.
- Giant Raman scattering – detects the molecular composition of the cell wall without additional markers.
The first provides registration of bacteria by changing the effective optical thickness of the sensor layer, and the second - highly sensitive detection of spectral profiles reflecting the molecular composition of the cell wall of microorganisms without the use of labels.
During tests with Listeria innocua (a non-pathogenic analogue of dangerous bacteria), the system showed high sensitivity and allowed real-time monitoring of the reaction of microorganisms to antibiotics.
According to MSU, the technology does not require long cultivation and gives results in just a few hours, which is significantly faster than traditional methods. It can be used in clinical diagnostics, the food industry, and environmental monitoring.
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