New invention helps patients control drug dosage

The Swiss and American team of scientists has created a molecule that can glow red or green depending on the concentration of the drug in the blood, the first step towards making a simple home test to prevent the disease. multiplication of overdose.

This information, published in the June 8 issue of Natural Biochemistry, shows that patients have used drugs in cases of cancer, heart disease, epilepsy or immunosuppression to prevent rejection. After organ transplant surgery, there is a risk of side effects and even poisoning due to overdose, or the drug does not work if the dose is too low.

However, testing for dose control is quite time-consuming and costly, in addition to being done by skilled professionals in the laboratory. Therefore, scientists have tried to find an easy and inexpensive method to monitor home or patient bedside doses, especially in remote areas without existing medical equipment. great.

Photo: THX / TTXVN

According to Rudolf Griss, a scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, the new invention does not require modern equipment and is carried out simply so that patients can do it themselves.

After exposure to a drop of blood, the color of the molecule is observed with the help of a conventional digital camera. The new molecule can accurately measure drug levels in a patient's blood and give results immediately.

Specifically, the sensor molecule has four parts, including a receptor protein attached to a molecule on a specific drug, a similar small molecule on the target drug, an enzyme that produces light called luciferase ; and a fluorescent molecule can change the color of light emitted by luciferase.

When there is no drug in the blood, receptors and molecules are like drugs in the system attached together. They also pulled the luciferase and fluorescent molecules close together, creating red light.

When there is a drug in the blood, the receptor then binds to the drug and pushes away the synthetic drug-like molecule. It also separates the fluorescent molecule from luciferase, and this combination emits blue light.

All the patient needs to do is take a sample of blood to put on a piece of paper, put the piece of paper in a dark box and take a picture with a normal digital camera. The picture was then analyzed using a simple colorimetric software to determine the concentration of the drug in the blood.

The invention was successfully tested on three immunosuppressive drugs, an antiepileptic drug, an antiarrhythmic drug and an anti-cancer drug.

Griss said the team is in the process of transforming this method into a system, where the patient only needs to put a needle on a piece of test paper, slide it into the handheld reader and get the result immediately. Immediately, like the method of diabetics, measure their blood sugar.