Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 11, 2025
08:46
Electronic Tongue Generating Continuous Recognition Patterns for Protein Analysis
Published on: September 16, 2014
8.1K
Human Serum Phenylpyruvate Quantification Using Responsive 2D Photonic Crystal Hydrogels via Chemoselective Oxime
Kyeongwoo Jang1, W Seth Horne1, Sanford A Asher1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|August 19, 2020
Summary
New photonic crystal hydrogels can detect phenylpyruvate, a marker for phenylketonuria (PKU). This breakthrough could lead to at-home phenylalanine testing kits for PKU patients, improving dietary management.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Chemical Sensing
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Phenylketonuria (PKU) requires frequent blood phenylalanine (Phe) monitoring for dietary management.
- Current at-home testing options for Phe are limited due to the lack of simple and affordable sensing elements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel sensing element for at-home phenylalanine (Phe) testing kits.
- To create a hydrogel-based sensor capable of quantifying phenylpyruvate (PhPY) in human serum.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of two-dimensional photonic crystal (2DPC) hydrogels incorporating oxyamine recognition groups.
- Utilizing chemoselective oxime ligation to link PhPY to the hydrogel polymer network.
- Measuring PhPY concentration via light diffraction from PhPY-induced changes in 2DPC interparticle spacing.
Main Results:
- The developed hydrogel sensor successfully quantified phenylpyruvate (PhPY) in human serum.
- An estimated limit of detection for PhPY was 19 μM within a 30-minute detection time.
- The sensitivity is comparable to the minimum blood Phe concentrations found in healthy individuals.
Conclusions:
- The 2DPC hydrogel sensor shows promise for creating at-home Phe test kits for PKU patients.
- The chemoselective oxime ligation approach is a versatile platform for developing other chemical sensors in biological settings.
