Fatima Al-Zahraa Al Atraktchi modtog for nyligt Lundbeckfondens talentpris.
Titel
Micro- and nanosensors for early diagnosis of bacterial infections
Abstract
This PhD project was designed to improve diagnosis of bacteria infecting the airways of patients suffering from the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis (CF). There is no cure for this disease, but continuous infections in the lungs of the patients can to some extent be controlled by permanent antibiotic treatment. Although patients today live much longer than in the past due to early treatment with antibiotics, there is still a window of opportunity for improving treatment if presence of the bacteria can be diagnosed with better precision and higher sensitivity. In particular one bacterium – Pseudomonas aeruginosa – is a constant problem for the patients.
With an educational program based in nano-physics Fatima designed an electrochemical method to monitor very low concentrations of a unique chemical produced by P. aeruginosa – pyocyanin. This molecule is not detected in any other organism and it is electrochemically active, which makes it a convenient target molecule for monitoring. During her PhD project Fatima improved sensor technology and discovered novel ways of detecting pyocyanin. At the same time she learned about microbiology and the medical aspects of the disease. Eventually her experience and discoveries resulted in the development of a highly sensitive sensor for pyocyanin allowing her to detect this molecule in extremely low concentrations directly in expectorate samples from the patients. This detection measurement takes 30 seconds and thus is orders of magnitude faster than any competing method. Moreover, the sensitivity outcompetes currently used cultivation method, which means that these bacteria can now be detected many months or even years before the clinic can detect them by cultivation of the bacteria.
This sensor is an excellent prototype for future developments of sensors to discover early stages of bacterial infections.