| Nov 14, 2024 |
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(Nanowerk News) Researchers at INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory from Nieder research group, in collaboration with ICVS and iBiMED, are pioneering the use of functionalised nanodiamonds. This innovative approach offers a highly precise method to monitor neuronal activity at the cellular level, advancing our understanding of Parkinson’s disease.
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This breakthrough, published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (“Functionalized Nanodiamonds for Targeted Neuronal Electromagnetic Signal Detection”), could help understand the complex biological shifts occurring in the brains of patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, potentially leading to earlier diagnosis and personalised treatment.
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| The antennas for optically detected magnetic resonance experiments with gold antennas fabricated on top of a glass slide. (Image: Catarina Moura)
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Parkinson’s disease, which affects over 10 million people worldwide, is characterised by the gradual loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. This leads to motor symptoms such as tremors, difficulty with balance, and slowed movement. Studying these neurons at the single-cell level is crucial to understanding the disease’s progression. However, existing methods for observing neuronal activity, such as microelectrode arrays and patch-clamp techniques, have significant limitations, including poor spatial resolution and invasiveness.
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A promising alternative comes from the world of nanotechnology. Nanodiamonds are tiny diamond particles, just a few nanometres in size, known for their exceptional stability and biocompatibility. When these nanodiamonds contain special defects called nitrogen-vacancy centres, they gain unique optical and magnetic properties, making them a powerful tool for biological sensing. These nitrogen-vacancy centres within the nanodiamonds can detect magnetic fields generated by electrical signals in neurons, offering nanoscale spatial resolution and long-term monitoring capabilities.
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In this study, researchers took this technology a step further by attaching nanodiamonds directly to the surface of neurons, instead of allowing them to be internalised, i.e. absorbed or taken up into the cell. This crucial modification allows for precise localisation of the sensors at the cell membrane, where most signalling happens. By functionalising the nanodiamonds with antibodies that specifically target calcium ion channels on neuronal cells, researchers were able to place the sensors closer to the action potential sites, improving their ability to detect and measure neuronal signals in real-time.
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The results were promising: the functionalised nanodiamonds not only showed increased attachment to the neuronal surface but also did not interfere with normal cellular activity. This improved sensor positioning offers the potential to detect neuronal activity with greater accuracy, providing new insights into how neurons communicate and how this communication is altered in diseases like Parkinson’s.
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Additionally, researchers demonstrated that these nanodiamonds could be used in advanced imaging techniques, such as continuous optically detected magnetic resonance, to measure magnetic fields or temperature changes within the cellular environment. This ability to measure magnetic fields at such a fine scale could one day help map the activity of neurons in both healthy and diseased brains, revealing the subtle changes that occur in conditions like Parkinson’s.
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This research was supported by the project Diamond4Brain. With further optimisation, the technology could lead to a new era of non-invasive, real-time monitoring of neuronal health, with the potential to identify early signs of disease, track progression, and improve treatment strategies for patients worldwide.
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