Chennai: A team of Indian researchers has created a new biosensor platform capable of testing and diagnosing preeclampsia — a serious pregnancy complication caused by high blood pressure within 30 minutes.
Preeclampsia, which usually occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy, impacts 2–8% of pregnancies worldwide.
Conventional methods for detecting preeclampsia are often slow, require extensive infrastructure, and need skilled personnel. In contrast, the newly developed platform enables quick, affordable, and on-site screening during early stages, making timely intervention possible and reducing risks to both mothers and
newborns.
The team, led by the Indian Institute of Technology (
IIT) Madras in collaboration with the Vellore Institute of Technology, designed the Plasmonic Fibre Optic Absorbance Biosensor (P-FAB) using advanced fibre optic sensor technology.
Their work centred on the Placental Growth Factor (PlGF), an important angiogenic biomarker commonly used in diagnosing preeclampsia.
“The P-FAB technology was able to detect PlGF at a femtomolar level using polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) based U-bent polymeric optical fiber (POF) sensor probes,” said Prof. V.V. Raghavendra Sai, Biosensors Laboratory, Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, IIT Madras.
In a normal pregnancy, the Placental Growth Factor (PlGF) biomarker reaches its peak between 28 and 32 weeks. However, in women with preeclampsia, PlGF levels drop by two to three times after 28 weeks.
Using the P-FAB strategy, the newly developed POF sensor probes can detect PlGF levels within 30 minutes. Clinical testing validated the platform’s accuracy, reliability, specificity, and sensitivity, establishing it as a promising and cost-effective technology for PlGF detection and early preeclampsia diagnosis.
“The biosensor platform developed by the research team is simple and reliable, paving the way for affordable diagnosis. It can also lead to increasing the test coverage of Placental growth factor (PlGF) biomarker tests, thereby resulting in a potential for a significant impact on the management of pre-eclampsia and towards reduction in the global burden of mortality and morbidity from preeclampsia,” Sai added.
The study, published in the esteemed journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics, demonstrated that the POF platform holds potential for detecting a range of communicable and non-communicable diseases, including cancer, tuberculosis, and Alzheimer's. It also offers an eco-friendly advantage by eliminating the use of harsh chemicals and employing recyclable POF materials.
"It can also be used in remote and resource-limited settings for preeclampsia diagnosis" said the researchers.
