Researchers create artificial enzyme for fast detection of disease-related hormone in sweat

Researchers in the Oregon State University College of Engineering have developed a handheld sensor that tests perspiration for cortisol and provides results in eight minutes, a key advance in monitoring a hormone whose levels are a marker for many illnesses including various cancers.

Enzymes are substances made by living organisms that act as catalysts for biochemical reactions. To overcome the challenges posed by natural enzymes, Cheng and Sanjida Yeasmin, a doctoral student who led the study, created a stable, robust artificial enzyme capable of sensitive and selective cortisol sensing. Cortisol is a hormone produced in the adrenal glands.

Among its jobs, cortisol assists in fighting infection, maintaining blood pressure and regulating blood sugar and metabolism, and it is nicknamed the "stress hormone" because it is released when people find themselves under pressure.

Cortisol is beneficial for dealing with stress in the short term, but prolonged periods of high cortisol levels can have harmful effects on the body, such as an increased risk of anxiety, depression and heart disease.

"In a healthy individual, cortisol levels rise and fall depending on time throughout the day,"

Yeasmin said. "They are usually higher in the morning and lower at night – that means if you're going to effectively monitor cortisol, fast and frequent measurement is needed."

Image source: Yeasmin et al. (2023), ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.