- 03.06.2026 06:04
A discovery by Tula State University scientists will help diagnose Alzheimer's disease.
Young researchers from Tula State University have proposed improving medical analyzers that help diagnose serious diseases in the early stages. The project was supported by the Russian Science Foundation and the government of the Tula Region.
Amperometric enzyme biosensors are used to determine the levels of various substances in the human body, including glucose, cholesterol, acetylcholine, and others. These analyzers contain an enzyme that reacts with the desired substance and an electrode that converts this reaction into an electrical signal. This convenient and inexpensive method allows for testing right at the patient's bedside or even implanting a sensor into the body for continuous health monitoring.
However, existing biosensors have drawbacks: they are not always stable, can be false, have a short shelf life, are not sensitive enough, and often require too much biomaterial.
"That's why we proposed improving the existing method by studying the properties of electrocatalytically active materials," said Lyubov Kuznetsova, a junior researcher at the Laboratory of Biologically Active Compounds and Biocomposites at Tula State University. "The ultimate goal is to create a device that can detect the risk of high cholesterol and a number of other indicators, including markers of serious diseases like Alzheimer's. Similar tests exist, but they are quite complex and expensive. Another goal is to create an import-substituting device."
As part of a study supported by the Russian Science Foundation in 2026 and co-financed by the Tula Region government, scientists hope to develop fundamentally new electrode materials. The idea is to hold the enzyme and mediator together within a special conductive polymer—not synthetic, but natural. This material simultaneously captures the enzyme, conducts electricity, and is also biodegradable. Adding carbon nanomaterials to it dramatically increases sensitivity. The project will synthesize such composites for the first time, combining natural polymers with organosilicate materials.
The researchers plan to study how charge is transferred in these systems using electrochemical methods, microscopy, and IR spectroscopy. Tula State University laboratories are equipped with the necessary equipment. The resulting materials will then be applied to printed graphite electrodes, specific enzymes will be immobilized on them, and the stability and accuracy of the resulting biosensors will be tested.
This is expected to enable the creation of domestically produced analytical devices for medical use, including implantable ones, which will strengthen import substitution in clinical diagnostics and personalized medicine. Furthermore, the developed materials have potential for regenerative medicine and targeted drug delivery.
