Iranian Scientists Develop Nanooxygen Sensor for Cancer Treatment

“We have developed a photonic oxygen sensor that allows continuous monitoring of oxygen in both aqueous and gaseous environments,” said Esmayeel Heidari, a faculty member of Kharazmi University and a manager of ‘Tabesh’ knowledge-based company.

“At present, this sensor is used in research, medicine and biomedical fields. For instance, in cell culture environments where oxygen concentration is very important or in treatments like PhotoDynamic Therapy for cancer treatment that depends on the production of reactive oxygen species,” he added.

“In the medical field, potential applications for this technology can be considered like ventilators, where monitoring oxygen concentration is critical, or in indirect blood glucose measurement, where changes in oxygen levels help monitor glucose. Other instances of this sensor's application are seen in diabetic ulcers and diseases like neuropathy, where tissue oxygen monitoring can provide accurate information on the progress of diabetes treatment,” Heidari said.

In a relevant development in 2024, Iranian researchers had also successfully produced electrodes made of laser-induced graphene (LIG) materials to produce hemoglobin and glucose sensors.

The researchers at a knowledge-based company based in the South Khorasan Science and Technology Park have launched production of aptamer-based biosensors. Using electrochemical methods, these sensors benefit from advantages such as high sensitivity, low detection limit, large linear detection range, and the possibility of being used in a broad range of solvents, electrolytes, and temperatures.

Using the microfluidics method based on the electric field, the company makes it possible to detect the aptamer sequence in only one round of the SELEX process. The selection process is done in the shortest possible time and at the lowest cost.

“The detection process in aptamer sensors is carried out on electrodes based on nanomaterials,” Rana Bagheri, the managing director of the knowledge-based company, said in an interview with ANA.

“Through research and development programs, the researchers of this company have succeeded in making electrodes based on LIG graphene, which due to its three-dimensional structure with high porosity increases the surface to volume and creates a more effective function for connecting to the target and increases the speed of heterogeneous electron transfer,” she said.

“Graphene powder, LIG electrode and silver ink are also other side products of this company. Graphene is a carbon material with unique properties. Among its interesting physico-chemical properties, it can be said that it has a very high specific surface area (2,630 g/m2 in single-layer graphene), excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, and high mechanical strength,” the researcher also said.

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