Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International - November 15, 2006
University of Georgia researchers have developed a diagnostic test that, in addition to simply saving time, can save lives by rapidly detecting a naturally occurring disease outbreak or bioterrorism attack.
Lead author Ralph Tripp of the university's College of Veterinary Medicine said the technique measures the change in frequency of a near-infrared laser as it scatters viral DNA or RNA. That change in frequency is as distinct as a fingerprint.
Although the phenomenon is well known, previous attempts to use spectroscopy to diagnose viruses failed because the signal produced is inherently weak.
But University of Georgia physics Professor Yiping Zhao and University of Georgia chemistry Professor Richard Dluhy found a way to significantly amplify the signal by using nanorods.
"The enhancement factors are extraordinary," Dluhy said. "And the nice thing about this fabrication methodology is that it's very easy to implement, it's very cheap and it's very reproducible."
The research is detailed in the current issue of the journal Nano Letters.
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