News Release

A London effort to develop point-of-care nanosensors for HIV diagnosis and monitoring

Grant and Award Announcement

University College London

The London Centre for Nanotechnology will develop a new device to enable people living with HIV to monitor their own health and the effectiveness of their treatments, thanks to a £2 million EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) grant announced today.

The device will give people a way to monitor the virus for themselves, reducing the need to visit a doctor as often. It will act as an early warning system to tell patients to seek medical help if the virus is resisting anti-retroviral treatments. It could also be of real benefit to doctors in developing countries who urgently need rapid and affordable ways to diagnose and monitor their patients.

Researchers from the London Centre for Nanotechnology, a joint venture between UCL (University College London) and Imperial College London, and their research partners have been awarded the Nanotechnology for Healthcare grant from the EPSRC's Grand Challenge Competition.

The research will bring biomedical engineers, physicists, chemists, virologists and clinicians together to create the device, which will work in a similar way to how diabetics check their insulin levels - where a hand-held machine analyses a finger prick of blood.

The device will use tiny mechanical sensors, called nano-cantilever arrays, to measure HIV and other protein markers that can indicate a rise in the level of the virus and the body's response to it.

UCL lead investigator Dr Rachel McKendry, Reader in Biomedical Nanoscience at the LCN, explains: "The nano-cantilever arrays are each coated with substances that stick to the HIV and other proteins, which are markers associated with disease progression. Accommodating these markers causes the highly sensitive sensors to bend like a diving board and this bend indicates the level of virus in the body. We have used nano-cantilever arrays to investigate drug resistance in super bugs, and are excited by the opportunity to extend this approach to detecting HIV markers."

The device will display messages on an integral screen, giving patients access to clear, immediate advice. For example, they could be told that their condition remains stable if levels of virus do not change, or they could be told to make an appointment to see their doctor if the virus begins to flare up.

Investigator, Dr. Anna-Maria Goretti, an NHS consultant and co-investigator based at the Royal Free Hospital, says: "If patients neglect to take their treatments or need prompting to see their GP the device will provide a simple way of letting them know. It will really empower HIV patients to keep a close eye on their health and their treatments."

Robin Weiss, Professor of Viral Oncology at UCL, whose pioneering work in identifying the receptor for HIV has deepened our understanding of HIV/AIDS, adds: "One of the principal advantages of the proposed device is its capacity to monitor viral and immunological markers on a single chip without the need for time consuming analysis that requires specialist laboratories."

Dr Yeong-Ah Soh, lead investigator at Imperial and lecturer in Materials Science, who is responsible for engineering the nano-cantilever arrays, sayss: "This project combines technology from semiconductor processing with modern biology to produce a unique piece of kit for tracking how HIV develops in individual patients, and helping them to keep a close eye on their own health."

The project will be carried out over the next three years, with the promise of additional funding.

In the UK, there are an estimated 70,000 carriers of HIV. Worldwide, HIV/AIDS has grown to pandemic proportions and today there are 35 million people living with the virus, two-thirds of them in sub-Saharan Africa. This development is expected to bring major improvement to UK patient and will anchor UK at the forefront of HIV research.

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Notes to editors

Contact details:

For more information, please contact Dr Thierry Bontoux at the London Centre for Nanotechnology on tel: +44 (0)20 7679 0056, e-mail: t.bontoux@ucl.ac.uk

Images:

An image of a micro-cantilever array can be obtained by calling the London Centre for Nanotechnology on +44 (0)20 7679 0056 or by emailing t.bontoux@ucl.ac.uk. It is a schematic showing the interaction of the cantilevers with HIV markers in serum and was produced by Manuel Vögtli of the London Centre for Nanotechnology.

Grand Challenge Investigators:

LCN scientists and researchers from the UCL/MRC Centre for Medical Molecular Virology, the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, Cambridge Medical Innovations, Sphere Medical Ltd and Bio-Nano-Consulting are working together on the project to develop the prototype device for clinical trials.

LCN @ UCL: Rachel McKendry (PI), Reader in Biomedical Nanoscience; Gabriel Aeppli, Quain Professor of Physics & co-Director of the LCN; Tom Duke, Professor of Physics LCN @ Imperial College London: Yeong-Ah Soh (PI), Lecturer in Materials Science; Tony Cass, Professor of Chemical Biology; Molly Stevens¬¬, Professor of Regenerative Medicine

UCL/MRC Centre for Medical Molecular Virology, UCLH and Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust: Deenan Pillay, Professor of Virology, Head of Dept of Infection & Honorary Consultant Medical Virologist; Anna Maria Geretti, Honorary Senior Lecturer & Consultant Medical Virologist; Robin Weiss, Professor of Viral Oncology; Vince Emery, Professor of Virology

About the London Centre for Nanotechnology:

The London Centre for Nanotechnology is a UK-based, multidisciplinary research centre forming the bridge between the physical and biomedical sciences. It was conceived from the outset with a management structure allowing for a clear focus on scientific excellence, exploitation and commercialisation. It brings together two world leaders in nanotechnology, namely University College London and Imperial College London, in a unique operating model that accesses the combined skills of multiple departments, including medicine, chemistry, physics, electrical and electronic engineering, biochemical engineering, materials and earth sciences, and two leading technology transfer offices.

The London Centre for Nanotechnology has a open access scheme for media to access information on research and technology. www.london-nano.com

About Imperial College London:

Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 13,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality.

Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.

Since its foundation in 1907, Imperial's contributions to society have included the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of research for the benefit of all continues today, with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to improve health in the UK and globally, tackle climate change and develop clean and sustainable sources of energy. www3.imperial.ac.uk

About UCL (University College London):

Founded in 1826, UCL was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, the first to admit students regardless of race, class, religion or gender, and the first to provide systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine. UCL is the seventh-ranked university in the 2008 THES-QS World University Rankings, and the third-ranked UK university in the 2008 league table of the top 500 world universities produced by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. UCL alumni include Marie Stopes, Jonathan Dimbleby, Lord Woolf, Alexander Graham Bell, and members of the band Coldplay. UCL currently has over 12,000 undergraduate and 8,000 postgraduate students. Its annual income is over £600 million. www.ucl.ac.uk


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