T.E.S.T. 2017

Each year, over 25.000 people are diagnosed with heart failure. When a person suffers from heart failure, the pump function of the heart is reduced. If left untreated, this can result in a heart infarction. One way to detect the severity of heart failure is by measuring the concentration of NT-proBNP in blood, which is a biomarker for heart failure. NT-proBNP is a protein which is produced in the heart muscle cells when they are under increased stress. Current blood tests for NT-proBNP are performed in hospital laboratories. The large analysing machine requires a large sample volume and the analysis can take up to hours before the result is known. The logistics involved in the transport of the samples can even increase the waiting time up to a day.

We would like to challenge these inconveniences and make diagnosing and monitoring of heart failure quicker and easier. In a multidisciplinary team, we as T.E.S.T. 2017 are working on a small and accurate device capable of detecting NT-proBNP concentrations in blood plasma within 10 minutes and using only a small droplet of blood. This device allows testing at the general practitioner in the time of one consult, or monitoring the patient’s situation at home. We will make use of a magnetic cluster assay as detection technique, in which the presence of NT-proBNP mediates cluster formation between magnetic beads. These beads are much larger than our biomarker: which makes them a lot easier to observe than molecules like proteins. This allows us to make observations of the small proteins making use of something as simple as visible light. By exploiting the magnetic properties of the beads, we can speed up the cluster formation. The higher the concentration of our biomarker in a bloodsample, the more clusters will be formed. By measuring the amount of clusters, we can determine the concentration of NT-proBNP. And that in its turn is the information we need to say something about the severity of heart failure.