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Research based
on the use of nanotechnology has made way for the development
of highly efficient sensors for measuring blood glucose in
diabetic patients.
Nanotechnology
uses particles the size of a nanometer (one-billionth of a
meter), which are comparable in size to animal or plant proteins.
Scientists successfully implanted a gold nanoparticle with
a diameter of 1.2 nanometers into the enzyme glucose oxidase.
Glucose oxidase
acts as an insulator when binding to a conductive surface
such as an electrode. However, when the gold nanoparticle
is put into the enzyme, the gold acts as an electrical "plug,"
facilitating the flow of electrons to the attached electrode
and the oxidation of the glucose by the enzyme. The magnitude
of the current reveals the extent of glucose in the system.
According to experimental
results, this "nanoplug" technology offers a more
specific measure of glucose in the blood than is available
with existing techniques.
Researchers believe
that enzyme electrodes could be used not only to sense glucose
levels for diabetic patients, but also to enable production
of electrical energy from blood sugar to operate heart pacemakers,
insulin pumps or prosthetic components.
Science
March 21, 2003;299(5614):1877-81
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