Revolutionary home test: detects heart failure in minutes

In this regard, a team of researchers plans to move the examination of heart failure (or heart muscle weakness) “from the laboratory to the home,” by developing a prototype of an electrochemical sensor (similar to the “Covid-19” test) to measure the levels of two biomarkers of heart failure in less than 15 minutes, from drop of saliva only.

“Our device would be ideal for people who are at risk for heart failure but have limited access to a hospital or central laboratory,” says Colorado State University graduate student Trey Pittman, who will present his team’s research at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

The developed test, called electrochemical capillary immunoassay (eCaDI), could be used to screen for heart failure and check health status every few weeks instead of every 6 months, Pittman explained.

The eCaDI consists of several layers, with the top plastic layer containing small holes to load the saliva sample, and the middle plastic layer containing laser-cut channels to draw saliva.

Between the outer plastic layers are “fibers containing compounds that interact with saliva” and measure the two biomarker proteins for the condition: Galectin-3 and S100A7, when an electrical current is applied to the device.

In demonstration tests, the researchers added standardized human saliva samples with levels of two biomarkers that indicate heart failure.

The results showed that eCaDI accurately detected Galectin-3 and S100A7 in saliva.

“These tests are a first step toward a robust, non-invasive electrochemical sensor for signs of heart failure,” Pittman says.

The team will then test eCaDI in human research trials with healthy individuals, and those with heart failure.

The current gold standard for screening for heart failure is a blood test, performed twice a year by a health care professional, that measures levels of B-type natriuretic peptide, a protein that signals the heart is working too hard.

Source: Medical Express