Combating Pandemics: Diagnostic Plates with Tenfold Higher Sensitivity

A team at KIT has developed a solution that significantly improves novel biosensors for medical use and enables faster diagnosis of infectious diseases
Hände mit blauen Schutzhandschuhen halten eine Multiwell-Platte in einem Labor. Amadeus Bramsiepe, KIT
In clinical laboratory medicine, assays are testing systems used to detect specific substances. Researchers at KIT have now developed diagnostic plates with substantially higher sensitivity.

Rapid, straightforward, and precise diagnosis of highly contagious pathogens, such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, is crucial for preventing the spread of diseases. This helps minimize both fatalities and economic damage. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have now developed a solution that makes medical diagnostic plates, known as assays, significantly more sensitive.

Nanoparticles Improve Electron Transfer

The team led by Professor Pavel Levkin from Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems (IBCS) at KIT uses innovative assays based on electrochemiluminescence. In this process, the transfer of electrons excites electrochemical elements on a surface, causing them to emit light. In medical samples, this light indicates the presence of a pathogen. The brighter the light, the more pathogens are present in the sample.
The researchers increased the sensitivity of the assays tenfold by coating gold electrodes with silicon dioxide nanoparticles. This improved electron transfer and, consequently, the intensity of the light signal. As a result, the scientists were able to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus in samples much more quickly and accurately.

In addition, the team optimized the surface of the assays for multiple applications, enabling several measurements to be performed on a single sample. According to the researchers, it may even become possible in the future to simultaneously detect multiple pathogens in the same. “Our platform can advance multiplex diagnostics for the rapid detection of pathogens and can also support broader public-health applications,” explain Yuliang Shao and Tatiana Starikova from IBCS, who played a leading role in the development.

iha, August 5, 2026