A bioengineering professor at the University of Illinois has partnered with an ophthalmologist to craft a device that assesses the severity of eye injuries quickly, using graphene-based sensors.
Prof. Dipanjan Pan and Dr. Leanne Labriola have created OcuCheck, which measures the amount of Vitamin C emanating in the fluids from an injured eye. The fluid on the external surface of an eye contains very low levels of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), while the fluid within the eye has a much greater amount, so any leakage that has a higher than trace amount of ascorbic acid indicates the organ has been penetrated.
The new sensor uses graphene platelets that are layered 1 nanometer thick on filter paper. Upper layers include a unique polymer that interacts with the graphene; gold electrodes; and ascorbate oxidase, an enzyme that binds to ascorbic acid.
The team’s next step is to develop a prototype, working with an industrial designer, for a portable device to bring the technology to market, and they’s procured a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to explore those steps.
Read the article: AAAS/EurekAlert!
