IIT Guwahati revolutionizes cholesterol and triglyceride detection with cutting-edge nanotechnology

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJanuary 6, 2025

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIY-G), led by Prof. Dipankar Bandyopadhyay, Centre for Nanotechnology and Department of Chemical Engineering, have developed an innovative approach to improving the detection of cholesterol and triglycerides by integrating Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) on nanoscale objects.

The work utilises bimetallic nanostructures 10,000 times thinner than the width of a human hair for the high-fidelity detection of biomarkers in the human blood.

The findings of this research have been recently published in the high-impact journal, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, authored by Dr. Mitali Basak, Prof. Dipankar Bandyopadhyay and Prof. Harshal B. Nemade.

Metabolic biomolecules like cholesterol and triglycerides play a pivotal role in maintaining the harmonious cardiovascular health of the human body. The high (HDL) and low (LDL) density lipoproteins transport cholesterol to the cellular sites for various metabolic activities. An imbalance of LDL and HDL causes arterial plaque formation leading to hypertension, formation of blood clots, or ischemia. On the other hand, Triglycerides (TGA) transform into fatty acids and glycerol during digestion which in turn is packaged inside lipoproteins namely very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), for transportation to the cells. An elevated level of triglycerides leads to atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease, pancreatitis, type 2 diabetes, or fatty liver.

Therefore, timely detection of any abnormality and close monitoring of cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood are highly sought. While traditional lipid profile tests of blood are reliable, they often require laboratory settings, are not available as a point-of-care solution, and can take time to provide results.

To address these limitations, the researchers have focused on a technique that combines nanotechnology and molecular detection, which can further be translated into a point-of-care as device with enhanced diagnostic precision. The researchers employ SERS active bimetallic nanostructures – the silver-shelled gold nanorods, which enable a Plasmonic resonance hybridisation of silver and gold to produce augmented spectral resolutions as compared to pristine silver or gold nanorods. Subsequently, these bimetallic nanorods are linked to two different Raman active receptors and immobilised with the enzyme’s cholesterol oxidase and lipase for concurrent detection of different concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides. Such innovations help in the development of a platform for the ultrafast point-of-care detection kit with a higher level of detection sensitivity.

Speaking about the research, Prof. Dipankar Bandyopadhyay said, “The recent advent of the low-cost and portable Raman spectroscopy devices open the possibility of utilisation of these sensors for the real-time monitoring of HDL, LDL, VLDL, and TGA at patients’ site, that may help and mitigate the cardiovascular diseases before even their onset if not at the acute stage. Further, IPR of such technologies will enable indigenisation of such high-precision gen-next sensors for the development of our own auto-analysers, which are presently imported from the abroad.”

The researchers validated the superior performance of their silver-gold nanorods (Ag–Au NRs) through both experiments and advanced simulations. Due to the unique coupling of silver and gold, these nanorods showed enhanced light interaction properties, known as localised surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). This combination amplified signals 20 to 50 times more effectively than using gold nanorods alone, proving their significant advantage for applications like nano-enabled SERS.

This breakthrough research represents a major step forward in molecular diagnostics. By enhancing the precision and sensitivity of cholesterol and triglyceride testing, the team’s work has the potential to transform healthcare, enabling earlier detection of cardiovascular diseases at the patients’ site.