KL University, Guntur News & Events ,Guntur

KL University Develops Paper Sensor To Measure Vitamin-D Deficiency

August 30, 2021: The KL University (Deemed To Be) has created a one-of-a-kind handmade paper sensor that can accurately test Vitamin-D insufficiency.

The sensor was developed by a team led by Pradeep Kumar Brahman from the Department of Chemistry and Tummala Anusha, a research scholar on the institute's Andhra Pradesh campus, for speedy and reliable Vitamin-D monitoring.

Smaller clinics, dispensaries in distant places, medical institutions in geographically inaccessible locations, and smaller facilities to measure Vitamin-D shortages without cumbersome equipment or labs could all benefit from this technique. The research was recently published in Elsevier's microchemical journal.

The price of this paper sensor will be around Rs 40 to Rs 50, whereas commercially accessible Vitamin-D tests in hospitals and labs will cost around Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000.

The university team examined the proof-of-concept with many real-life samples and found that the sensor's accuracy is greater than 94 percent, which is comparable to commercially available tests. Within 30 minutes, the sensor generates results and reports, saving valuable diagnostic time.

The sensor was created by developing a paper electrode with a certain dimension and printing it on A4 photocopy paper using a specially designed ink called Conductive Ink, which contains cobalt-silver doped copolymer-ionic liquid and functions as a sensor to detect Vitamin-D insufficiency.

In a voltametric cell, the strip is dipped in the patient's serum sample containing electrolyte solution, together with two common electrodes (Reference and Counter Electrodes). At a constant potential, an amperometric measurement is taken.

The current obtained is proportional to the Vitamin-D content. The three electrodes are connected to a Potentiostat, which is in turn connected to a monitor where the lab worker may observe the Vitamin-D sensor's results.

The advancement of this technology is also crucial in light of a study published in the journal Endocrine that found that low levels of Vitamin-D are linked to an increased risk of Covid-19 hospitalisation cases.

In Covid-19, vitamin D deficiency was recently proposed as a factor linked to a higher likelihood of poor prognosis. According to experts, those with low Vitamin-D levels are more likely to develop hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders.