Novel microchip can diagnose heart attacks in minutes.

A heart attack is a race against time. Rapid diagnosis means faster heart recovery, less damage, and better prognosis.

Traditional diagnosis relies on blood tests, such as creatine kinase and troponin, which take one to two hours. Johns Hopkins University has developed a microchip that can detect these biomarkers in just a few minutes, even at extremely low concentrations.

The core of the chip lies in its metal surface: polystyrene beads arranged on a quartz substrate, with alternating layers of gold and silica deposited to form nanoscale pyramid-like structures. This design enhances electric and magnetic fields, improving the capabilities of Raman spectroscopy analysis.

Raman spectroscopy: utilizes the interaction of lasers with chemical bonds in substances to provide detailed information. The chip can identify heart attack biomarkers in seconds, with sensitivity surpassing existing methods.

Ishan Barman, a bioengineer at Harvard University, envisions a future where handheld devices can detect results from a drop of blood in seconds. The proof-of-concept device could also detect cancer and infectious diseases.

The research was published in "Advanced Science" and has significant commercial potential with wide-ranging applications.