Research database

The detection of circulating disease biomarkers in bodily fluids holds great power for diagnosis but has been hampered by low sensitivity and high costs. Scientists of the EU-funded ANFIBIO project will employ ad hoc synthesised gold nanostars to maximise the amplification capability of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), a technique used to detect single molecules. The project will focus on the detection and quantification of prostate cancer DNA and influenza A viral RNA in blood, urine and saliva and compare the levels with those detected in tissues and cells. The delivered technology will require minimal sample pretreatment and no target amplification, significantly simplifying biomarker detection in liquid biopsies.