Domestic researchers developed a catalyst that can visually diagnose diseases on-site (POCT) in just 3 minutes by examining body fluids such as blood, urine, and saliva.
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) noted on the 28th that Professor Lee Jin-woo from the Department of Biotechnology, Professor Han Jeong-woo from Seoul National University, and Professor Kim Moon-il from Gachon University have developed a new single-atom catalyst that selectively reacts only with peroxidase, achieving high reaction efficiency.
The key to disease diagnosis on-site is enzymes. Enzymes recognize and react to specific substances. However, natural enzymes are expensive and unstable. Even when attempting to substitute them with catalysts that mimic enzymes, low accuracy occurs when using hydrogen peroxide as a substrate.
The research team combined ruthenium with chlorine ligands in a three-dimensional structure. Chlorine adjusts the chemical properties by binding with metals. As a result, the reaction increased by 38 times compared to existing enzyme-mimicking catalysts, and accurate diagnostic signals were obtained even when using hydrogen peroxide as a substrate. It functioned even in conditions close to those of biomaterials.
The research team incorporated oxidase into the developed catalyst and applied it to paper sensors. This diagnostic system can simultaneously detect glucose, lactate, cholesterol, and choline through the linked reaction of oxidase and the enzyme-mimicking catalyst. The research team stated that results could be determined within 3 minutes based on color changes.
Professor Lee Jin-woo said, 'We improved diagnostic performance by controlling the structure of the catalyst.' The research results were introduced in the international journal 'Advanced Materials' on the 6th.
References
Advanced Materials(2025), DOI : https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202506480