UPV’s research team is leading the development of sensors that pave the way for rapid, selective and cost-effective detection of active tuberculosis. The device detects the presence of a protein secreted by the disease-causing Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Get results in just 60 minutes. This is significantly faster than traditional methods, such as microbial culture, which take several weeks.
Tuberculosis remains one of the world’s major public health problems today. According to the World Health Organization’s 2024 Global Report, it is the number one cause of death from a single infectious pathogen. “Having tools that allow early and reliable diagnosis is therefore key to controlling the infection,” emphasizes Dr. Isabel Caballos, a member of the IDM-UPV team.
fluorescence detection
The new system is based on a nanoporous material containing fluorescent molecules and coated with an antibody specific for the MPT64 protein, a characteristic marker of active tuberculosis. The presence of this protein causes the movement of antibodies that block the pores of the material, releasing a fluorescent compound. This light signal makes it easy to detect infections.
One of the main innovations of biosensors is to detect active disease. This is particularly important because other molecular techniques, such as PCR, can identify fragments of bacterial DNA without distinguishing whether the infection is active, active, developing, or latent. In contrast, this system recognizes proteins secreted by bacteria during active infection, providing more accurate information from a clinical perspective. ”
Professor Ramón Martínez Máñez, Head of the NANOSENS Group of IDM-UPV and Nanomedicine and Sensors Joint Unit of IIS La Fe
Promising pathways to improve tuberculosis diagnosis
Tests conducted have shown that this biosensor achieves very low detection limits and high selectivity for proteins from other respiratory pathogens such as influenza virus, SARS-CoV-2, respiratory syncytial virus, and other non-tuberculous mycobacteria. Additionally, the device was validated using cultured clinical samples taken from patients.
“In the final validation, carried out using 20 cultures of respiratory samples taken from tuberculosis patients, the system achieved a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 90%, showing a good predictive value and confirming its potential as a diagnostic tool,” points out Dr. Ana Gil, from the Department of Microbiology at La Fé Polytechnic Hospital in Valencia.
According to IDM-UPV researchers, this new biosensor offers a promising avenue to improve tuberculosis diagnosis, especially in resource-poor countries where access to advanced technology remains a challenge. Professor Elena Aznar, professor at UPV and researcher at CIBER-BBN and IIS La Fe, concluded that “its simplicity, portability and selective detection ability make this a tool with great potential to contribute to the control of what remains the world’s most deadly disease.”
The research, published in the journal Taranta, was led by the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the Interuniversity Institute for the Development of Molecular Recognition and Technology (IDM) at the University of Valencia. Also participating were the UPV-IIS Rafe Joint Research Unit on Nanomedicine and Sensors, the CIBER Center for Biotechnology, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), the UPV-CIPF Joint Research Unit on Disease Mechanisms and Nanomedicine, and the Microbiology Department and Severe Infectious Diseases Group of Rafe University of Technology Hospital.
sauce:
Polytechnic University of Valencia
Reference magazines:
horse, me Others. (2026) Targeted detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis MPT64 antigen using an antibody-coated nanoporous anodic alumina biosensor: a new approach for tuberculosis screening. talent. DOI:10.1016/j.talanta.2026.129625. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0039914026002808?via%3Dihub
