The study was conducted by researchers from Korea University and the College of Medicine at the Catholic University of Korea in collaboration with the Korean Institute of Materials Science. They developed a technology capable of identifying structural changes in proteins that cause neurological disorders.
The GME—SERS platform, created as part of this research, allows for the detection of pathological changes in proteins using saliva. This represents an alternative to traditional methods, such as blood tests or cerebrospinal fluid analysis, which can be expensive and invasive.
The technology utilizes unique nanostructures made from gold and copper oxide, which significantly enhance even the faintest molecular signals. This enables the system to accurately identify changes in proteins, which is difficult to achieve with traditional diagnostic methods.
During the study conducted in collaboration with St. Vincent's Hospital, saliva from 44 patients suffering from epilepsy, schizophrenia, and Parkinson's disease, as well as 23 healthy volunteers, was analyzed. The results showed that the new technology is capable of classifying neurological disorders with an accuracy of 90 to 98 percent.
The scientists suggest that this innovative diagnostic method could be applied not only in medical institutions but also at home using portable devices.
