Johns Hopkins University

History

2023: Development of nanotaturing for continuous control of human cells. It will help detect cancer at the earliest stage

On August 7, 2023, American researchers at Johns Hopkins University announced the creation of a nanoscale tattoo, a special sensory array that allows you to monitor the condition of living cells and detect malignancies at the earliest stage.

Nanotaturing is able to attach to a single living cell without damaging it. The development can be used to monitor tissue health and effectively diagnose various diseases. The goal of the project is to close the gap between living structures, conventional sensors and electronic materials.

Nanoscale tattoo to diagnose malignancies

If we had technologies to track the condition of isolated cells, we could diagnose and treat diseases much earlier, and not wait for the entire organ to be damaged, "says David Gracias, one of the study participants.

Applying an electronic tattoo to a human cell is challenging not only because of the size of the structures, but also because such a sensory array must be flexible enough to repeat the curved surface of the cell. The researchers laid gold nanowires and nanowires on a silicon wafer and then transferred it to a biocompatible alginate hydrogel. The array was attached to rat brain tissues and cell sheets consisting of a single layer of fibroblasts - connective tissue cells that synthesize extracellular matrix and collagen. The nanostructures, the scientists found, matched the shape of the cells and stayed in place for 16 hours even as the tissues moved. In addition to early disease detection, researchers foresee many applications for their technology, including the creation of biohybrid materials, bionic devices and biosensors.

We have shown that we can attach complex nanostructures to living cells while ensuring that the cell does not die. This is a very important result, "Gracias said.[1]

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