UW Bioengineering assistant professor Dr. Daniel Ratner has developed a paper-based diagnostic system which uses plain paper. When treated with a divinyl sulfone and water solution, the paper becomes sticky to materials that could be of medical interest. The treated paper is run through a modified inkjet printer and printed with a biomolecule in an invisible pattern, and the pattern is revealed when a toxin is present. This proof of concept will be now used to develop actual diagnostic tests.
Dr. Daniel Ratner’s work was recently published in the American Chemical Society journal Langmuir.
Dr. Daniel Ratner’s work was also profiled in a BBC article.