The biocompatible hydrogel concentrates and labels proteins in a single step, making it suitable for detecting low-abundance proteins from small sample sizes.
Around 12,400 people are diagnosed with cancers of the head and neck in the UK every year.
Developed by Ruchi Gupta and colleagues from the School of Chemistry, the biocompatible hydrogel concentrates and labels proteins with a fluorescent marker in a single step, making it suitable for diagnostics that aim to detect low-abundance proteins from small sample sizes.
The hydrogel achieves protein capture via the fluorescent marker (fluorescein isothiocyanate or FITC), which is attached to the hydrogel by a photocleavable bond. On exposure to light, the protein, which now attached to the flourescin, is released from the hydrogel.
Initial studies on the gel, published in 2023 in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Analyst journal, showed the gel offered a concentration factor of 236 with a reference protein (streptavidin), and 50 per cent of the proteins in the hydrogel were released after 100 seconds exposure to UV light.
Diagnostics are a new landscape for biogels, which until now have been used for drug delivery and tissue regeneration.
The gel developed by Ruchi offers distinct benefits over existing diagnostic techniques. It has far fewer steps than ELISA-based assays or preconcentration using beads and electrophoresis and can be conducted at room temperature.
Cancer Research Horizon’s, the innovation engine built to complement Cancer Research UK’s network, has filed a patent application for the novel hydrogel, and the Birmingham researchers are seeking collaborators or partners to develop further applications.
The gel’s biocompatibility means the hydrogel can be used either in vitro, or directly on patients, as with the current project which aims to replace current invasive, time-consuming diagnostic procedures that need to be conducted by medical professionals.
Ruchi Gupta, associate professor of biosensors at the University of Birmingham, said, “Smart hydrogels have really exciting potential for diagnosing mouth cancer. They can be easily moulded into shapes as a solid to ‘catch’ proteins in saliva, and we’re hoping that we can be the first to make a device which is much kinder for diagnosing mouth cancer for patients and easier for GPs to use.
“Beyond this project, we’re keen to investigate other possibilities for the hydrogel, and will welcome approaches from research or commercial organisations who want to collaborate on research or commercialisation.”