A sensor array that can detect single molecules of hydrogen peroxide emanating from a single living cell has been developed, for the first time, by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers.
Hydrogen peroxide has long been known to damage cells and their DNA, but scientists have recently uncovered evidence that the chemical may act as a signaling molecule in a critical cell pathway that stimulates growth, among other functions.
Michael Strano of the MIT research team said that issues with the signal pathway can cause cells to become cancerous, so understanding hydrogen peroxide's role could lead to new targets for potential cancer drugs.
"Arrays of this type have the ability to distinguish, for example, if single molecules are coming from an enzyme located on the cell surface, or from deep within the cell," Strano said.
The team used the carbon nanotube array to study the flux of hydrogen peroxide that occurs when a common growth factor called EGF activates its target, a receptor known as EGFR, located on cell surfaces.
During the study it was found that the hydrogen peroxide levels more than double when EGFR is activated. Overactive EGFR activity was present and the hydrogen peroxide flux was ten times greater than in normal cells.
The study was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Ministry of Education (Czech Republic) and the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences.
