KRIBB: Plasmonic PCR Enables Rapid Pathogen Detection... Potential Expansion to Cancer Diagnosis

The Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology announced on August 4 that the research team led by Dr. Ko Kyungchul at the National Preclinical Trial Support Center and the research team led by Professor Kwon Oseok at Sungkyunkwan University have developed a "plasmonic photothermal-based digital PCR" technology.

This technology amplifies genes through rapid temperature control using light, achieving a speed four times faster and a sensitivity ten times higher than conventional PCR.

(From left) Professor Ohseok Kwon of Sungkyunkwan University, Dr. Kyungchul Ko of Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology. Provided by Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology

The joint research team successfully used this technology to simultaneously diagnose four types of bacteria that cause periodontal disease in the oral cavity. Based on this achievement, they expect that in the future, it will be utilized as an on-site, ultra-fast genetic diagnostic tool in fields such as the detection of new and variant infectious diseases, cancer, and food poisoning bacteria.

Currently, real-time PCR used in medical settings requires significant time and cost due to heating and cooling processes. Furthermore, it is difficult to use immediately on-site, which has limited its effectiveness in responding to infectious diseases, periodontal diseases, and cancer, where early diagnosis and rapid treatment are crucial.

However, by applying the technology developed by the joint research team, the accuracy and stability of the gene amplification process can be enhanced. The key was to maximize the speed and efficiency of heat transfer by using a metal (plasmonic) material that converts light into heat, covering a gold nanofilm (Au nanofilm) with a compound called OPE (oligo(phenylene-ethynylene)), which rapidly converts light energy into heat.

When the joint research team applied this technology in practice, they conducted verification experiments on the genes of four types of bacteria, including Streptococcus mutans, a major causative agent of dental caries, and Porphyromonas gingivalis, a causative agent of periodontitis. They were able to complete gene amplification in 14 minutes and confirm the presence of the genes with high-resolution fluorescence scanning within an additional 9 minutes.

In particular, the joint research team expects that the developed technology can be applied not only to the diagnosis of periodontal disease but also to all fields requiring DNA-based diagnostics, including hospital infection control, food poisoning diagnosis, early cancer diagnosis, and infectious disease response.

Professor Kwon Oseok stated, "This technology, as a digital in vitro analysis technology, will help hospitals quickly assess patients' conditions and provide early treatment, thereby reducing the burden on patients. It will also make a practical contribution to field-oriented diagnostic environments."

Director Ko Kyungchul said, "We hope that the technology developed by the joint research team will be utilized as a platform technology for the diagnosis of various diseases such as cancer and food poisoning in the future."

Meanwhile, this research was conducted with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT's National Preclinical Support System Establishment Project, the Domestic Research Equipment Technology Competitiveness Enhancement Project, the Next Generation Academic Support Project, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's Narcotics Safety Management Technology Development Project, and the Nano Convergence Technology Institute.

The developed technology is planned to be commercialized through technology transfer to SNBTech Co., Ltd.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.