Friday, 22nd July 2005 (4897 views)

Gold nanoparticles are to aid virus detection in a new research and development agreement announced this week.

Canadian biopharmaceutical company Biophage Pharma has signed an agreement with the National Taiwan University to research biosensors based on nanotechnology that can detect viruses and slow growing microorganisms.

In particular, the partnership will aim to accelerate the development and the applications of the nanotechnology, which comes in the form of a wireless monitoring system.

Gold nanoparticles are one of the components of the monitoring system, which also uses Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and "phages", or antibodies.

It is hoped the system could aid in the detection of such viruses as tuberculosis, which is a growing problem in developing countries.

Dr Mandeville, president and chief executive of Biophage Pharma, said that the partnership was an "exciting development".

"The detection of very slowly growing bacteria such as mycobacterium (seven to ten days for tuberculosis) and also viruses are presently difficult with our impedance-based biosensor," he explained.

"The use of SPR and phages (or antibodies) will solve this difficulty and is, therefore, a perfect fit with the portfolio of products we are developing."

 

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