Bio-functionalised Nanomaterials for Ultrasensitive Biosensing

A finger-prick blood sample could one day reveal the presence of cancer or an infectious disease within minutes, using a simple colour change visible to the naked eye. Current diagnostic tests often lack the sensitivity to detect disease at its earliest stages, when treatment is most effective. They also typically require expensive laboratory equipment and trained personnel, delaying results and limiting access in low-resource settings. This project addresses both problems by engineering custom nanomaterials—tiny particles with precisely controlled properties—and pairing them with biological molecules that recognise specific disease markers. The goal is a sensor that can spot vanishingly small quantities of these markers in a drop of blood or saliva and report the result through an unambiguous colour shift. If successful, the technology could transform point-of-care diagnostics. Clinics, GP surgeries, and community health centres in the UK and globally could run rapid, ultrasensitive tests without sending samples to a central lab. For cancer, this might mean detecting recurrence earlier; for global health, it could enable field diagnosis of infectious diseases where infrastructure is minimal. The work is conducted alongside clinical partners to ensure the sensors meet real-world hospital and regulatory requirements.