Researchers develop a way to diagnose gout with a tear drop

A Korean research team has developed a new way to examine gout with a tear drop.

A research team led by Professor Chung Ki-hoon of bio and brain engineering department at KAIST said Wednesday they developed a cheap and elaborate paper test indicator for gout. Gout is a disease that occurs when uric acid in the blood changes to a crystal that resembles a needle to be accumulated in the joint thereby resulting in infection and joint damage. Though the danger of gout can also be determined by blood test, it has disadvantages that blood extraction has to done every time.

The research team started the research based on an idea that uric acid is contained in a human being's tear. They created a new test indicator by covering gold nano particles on the surface of the thin paper. After tear was coated on the paper and exposed to the light, the uric acid concentration can be easily identified by identifying with a spectrum equipment. The test accuracy is also the same as in blood test. "Another advantage is that a mass production is possible by using semiconductor processing," said Park Moon-seong, a researcher at KAIST.

The research team expects their findings to lead to the development of various test methods by using various body fluids. Prof. Chung said the research result will contribute to diagnosing diseases and studying physiological functions. The research findings were posted online of the international scientific journal ACS Nano dated Dec. 14, 2016.

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