Raman spectroscopy test detects all kinds of poisons in just 30 minutes
Raman spectroscopy test detects all kinds of poisons in just 30 minutes
2023-09-07
A new way to test patients for poisons is set to revolutionize toxicology. The Raman spectroscopy test can detect diverse types of poisons in just 30 minutes. That’s incredibly fast compared to traditional tests which can take hours, days or even months. The new system comes from a team of doctors and scholars from several Taiwanese hospitals and universities. They hope the Raman-based test can be used by first responders all over the country, to reduce the time it takes to get a patient the treatment they need.
An ambulance takes a patient to hospital as fast as possible. But for many toxicology patients, it’s hard to define what has caused their illness. It can take excruciatingly long to work out what is causing the problem.
Yen Tzung-hai
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Clinical Poison Center
Sometimes, in the ER, the doctor can tell the patient has taken illegal drugs and that’s causing the discomfort. But our traditional tests and screenings can’t detect it. In the future, these portable Raman-based platforms will help us overcome those problems.
Toxicology expert Yen Tzung-hai finds that many patients arrive at his hospital with poisoning from pesticides, food or narcotics. Traditional mass spectrometry tests and urine tests take three to six days, and blood tests, 10 to 12 hours. A hair sample analysis can take more than three months! But now, he and colleagues from NTU and NTHU, have developed a faster method.
Wan De-hui
NTHU biomedical engineering professor
The nanostructure amplifies the signals from the materials we’re trying to detect. So we can carry out spectrometry tests at extremely low concentrations, and we don’t need to use different tests to detect different materials.
The Raman-based platform is a joint achievement by doctors and academics. The test sample is dripped onto a nanometal surface. The sample is then analyzed with Raman spectroscopy, a kind of laser scan. In just 30 minutes, a toxin can be detected. The technology works on pesticides, drugs, clinical medicines, and food additives.
Tan Tun-tzu
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital toxicology nurse
If it’s soluble, it can detect it very fast. For example, Taiwan is hot and humid. When you leave something out, it tends to get moldy, and tends to secrete aflatoxin. They can be detected fast, and then you know not to eat that anymore.
The team hopes their testing platform will be rolled out widely in clinical settings and made available to first responders. Working out the cause of an ailment fast can be the deciding factor in getting the patient the help they need.
長庚跨團隊開發"識毒平台" 30分鐘知道中何種毒
2023-09-07
急診醫師面對失去意識的中毒病患，最棘手的就是不知道他中了什麼毒，過去驗血至少要花4小時起跳，才能辦識出毒化物，但現在救人速度可以一舉快8
。長庚醫院與清華大學、台灣大學、馬偕醫院合作，開發出"可攜式拉曼檢測平台"，30分鐘內就能分析出人體的毒化物，幫醫師爭取更充裕的時間救人一命。
救護車第一時間將患者送到醫院搶救，只是很多人到院時，儘管身體不舒服，卻又說不出來甚麼原因，如果是中毒，還得花上好長時間才能釐清是什麼毒。
[[長庚醫院臨床毒物中心主任 顏宗海]]
“我們在急診有時候，有些醫師，他明明覺得說，這個民眾應該是吸毒，引起了一些不舒服，可是我們傳統的一些檢驗、快篩都驗不出來，那將來說用這種可攜式的拉曼平台的話，他就可以幫我們克服這個問題。”
毒物科專家顏宗海就發現，許多患者多辦是農藥中毒、食物中毒、或是服用毒品導致送醫，但傳統質譜儀檢測，尿液檢測需3到6天，血液檢測需10到12小時，頭髮恐超過90天，如今他和台大、清大一同合作，研發出更快速的方法。
[[清華大學醫工所教授 萬德輝]]
“這個奈米結構來放大這些待測物的訊號，所以我們就可以在極低的濃度情況之下，進行光譜的量測，而且我們不需要因為不同的待測物而採用不同的檢測方法。”
醫界和學界聯手打造，可攜式拉曼檢測平台，只要把檢測物質滴入奈米貴金屬表面，藉由雷射產生拉曼光譜，只需要30分鐘，就能分析毒化物，這項技術可針對農藥、毒品、臨床藥物、食品添加物作檢測。
[[長庚醫院臨床毒物科護理師 譚敦慈]]
“你是水溶性的，它就可以很快速的去驗出來，(譬如)台灣溫暖潮濕，你放在室溫下的東西，它很容易就長了黴菌，那很容易就分泌黃麴毒素，那它可以很快驗出來，那你就是不要再去吃它。”
團隊期盼可攜式檢測平台，能廣泛應用臨床醫療上，方便第一線人員，檢測更加快速，才能掌握黃金治療時機，對症下藥。
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