It is found out that DNA nanomachines can rapidly detect HIV, scientists say. According to Phys.org, a nanoscale machine that is composed of synthetic DNA can now be used for rapid, low-cost and sensitive diagnosis of many diseases that include HIV and rheumatoid arthritis.

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The team that is composed of international researchers has synthetized and designed a nanometer-scale DNA machine that customized modifications, which enable the machine to recognize a specific target antibody.

A structural switch or change is generated with a light signal that is caused by the DNA machine that is bound with the antibody. The sensor would not need to be chemically activated and is quick, enabling the targeted antibodies to be readily detected in about five minutes, even with complex clinical samples such as the blood serum.

This new approach -- as reported by NDTV -- may revolutionize the cumbersome, slow and expensive process of antibodies detection, which can help in the diagnosis of infectious and autoimmune diseases like HIV and rheumatoid arthritis.

It is going to support the development of quick and low-cost antibody detection that will eliminate the delays of the treatment initiation and increase health care costs that associate with current methods.

One of the many advantages of this new approach is that it is highly versatile, Professor Francesco Ricci at the University of Rome said. The professor, who is also a senior co-author of the study, added that the nanomachine can be custom-modified that it can detect a wide range of antibodies, which can make the platform more adaptable to many different illnesses.

The modular platform also provides important advantages compared to the existing techniques for the detection of antibodies. It does not require reagent chemicals, it is quick, and it may prove to be more useful in a range of different applications like the point-of-care diagnostics as well as bio-imaging.

This research has been published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Tagshiv disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, DNA nanomachine, Angewandte Chemie, point-of-care diagnostics