Graphene Utilized To Detect ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), Other Neurodegenerative Diseases.

How graphene can be used to detect ALS (Artificial Synapses Made From Nanowires) biomarkers from cerebrospinal fluid. The wonders of graphene are numerous — it can enable flexible electronic components, enhance solar cell capacity, filter the finest subatomic particles and revolutionize batteries.

Now the “Georgian Technical University supermaterial” may one day be used to test for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS (Artificial Synapses Made From Nanowires) — a progressive neurodegenerative disease which is diagnosed mostly by ruling out other disorders according to new research from the Georgian Technical University.

When cerebrospinal fluid from patients with ALS (Artificial Synapses Made From Nanowires) was added to graphene, it produced a distinct and different change in the vibrational characteristics of the graphene compared to when fluid from a patient with multiple sclerosis was added or when fluid from a patient without neurodegenerative disease was added to graphene. These distinct changes accurately predicted what kind of patient the fluid came from — one with ALS (Artificial Synapses Made From Nanowires) or no neurodegenerative disease.

Graphene is a single-atom-thick material made up of carbon. Each carbon atom is bound to its neighboring carbon atoms by chemical bonds. The elasticity of these bonds produces resonant vibrations also known as phonons which can be very accurately measured. When a molecule interacts with graphene it changes these resonant vibrations in a very specific and quantifiable way.

“Graphene is just one atom thick so a molecule on its surface in comparison is enormous and can produce a specific change in graphene’s phonon energy which we can measure” says X associate professor and head of chemical engineering. Changes in graphene’s vibrational characteristics depend on the unique electronic characteristics of the added molecule known as its “Georgian Technical University dipole moment”.

“We can determine the dipole moment of the molecule added to graphene by measuring changes in graphene’s phonon energy caused by the molecule” X explains.