荔枝视频

A 荔枝视频 student team is receiving international accolades for its work on a new way of detecting one of the world鈥檚 most prominent health conditions.

The (BMERIT) has been developing DNADetect, a modular biosensor project aimed at addressing delays in neurodegenerative disease diagnosis, specifically Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. The goal of DNADetect is to create a non-invasive, low-cost biosensor capable of early biomarker detection.

The team, made up of engineering, biological sciences, chemistry and physics undergraduate students, traveled to Kyushu, Japan in November for the annual . The jamboree is an annual conference where teams present their biomolecular design projects.

The team 鈥�&苍产蝉辫;which included Meagan Davies, Sana Wahab, Amber Quo, Jezrael Carpio, Stavan Patel, Emma Klaffke, and Ziyad Syed 鈥�&苍产蝉辫;won a bronze medal for their efforts.

Proud to represent U荔枝视频

Quo says the team was delighted, adding it was a significant achievement after having not participated in the event since 2019.

鈥淚t was a reflection of our hard work and perseverance over the last year,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his recognition on a global stage highlights the potential of our biosensor and we are proud to have been able to represent the 荔枝视频.鈥�

The team received logistics and project management support from team president Muhammad Ansari, former cellular and chemical systems lead Matthew Arango, BSc (Eng)鈥�24, and faculty members from across U荔枝视频.

A fast and simple DNA test

Nearly 750,000 Canadians have Alzheimer鈥檚 or another type of dementia, according to Statistics Canada. The condition affects nearly one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in six over 80.

However, getting accurate and timely information after an initial test can be excruciating, says Patel.

鈥淐urrent diagnostic processes leave patients unable to confidently know if they have Alzheimer鈥檚 after a check-in with their primary physician,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey have to wait months to get access to imaging scans and assessments, which can provide better diagnoses, but their disease usually progresses by that point.鈥�

Results in 30 minutes

Carpio says DNADetect鈥檚 early biomarker-detection ability will allow patients to get results within 30 minutes.

鈥淟ike many other health conditions and diseases, early detection is key in mitigating the challenges created by Alzheimer鈥檚,鈥� says Carpio.

The team鈥檚 goal is to make the technology available to clinicians by offering it as an option alongside blood tests when lab work is requested.

Stay tuned for more

Last year will be remembered as an action-packed one for the BMERIT students, as they took their proof-of-concept closer to reality.

Aside from the showing at the BIOMOD event, they were recognized with the People鈥檚 Choice Award at 鈥檚 Prototype Showcase in June.

Testament to collaboration

鈥淭he success of our device was a collaborative effort of so many groups, and, without everyone鈥檚 commitment to the team, this would never have been possible,鈥� Ansari says. 鈥淏y being resilient and putting our best foot forward everyday to further our project, we were able to come to a successful result.鈥�

Heading into 2025, he says they have already started recruiting new team members to work toward the next BIOMOD competition in November, while current students will help serve as mentors (much like Ansari and Arango were). These students are now creating experimental protocols and preparation for the summer.

Some team members have also joined the Hunter Hub鈥檚 LaunchPad program in hopes of commercializing their product, while they are also working on a publication to share their work in the months ahead.

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