Scientific Reports (Mar 2023)

Near-field sensor array with 65-GHz CMOS oscillators can rapidly and comprehensively evaluate drug susceptibility of Mycobacterium

  • Shojiro Kikuchi,
  • Yoshihisa Yamashige,
  • Ryosuke Hosoki,
  • Masahiko Harata,
  • Yuichi Ogawa

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30873-9
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Abstract Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a major clinical problem. Because Mycobacterium, the causative agent of tuberculosis, are slow-growing bacteria, it takes 6–8 weeks to complete drug susceptibility testing, and this delay contributes to the development of MDR-TB. Real-time drug resistance monitoring technology would be effective for suppressing the development of MDR-TB. In the electromagnetic frequency from GHz to THz regions, the spectrum of the dielectric response of biological samples has a high dielectric constant owing to the relaxation of the orientation of the overwhelmingly contained water molecule network. By measuring the change in dielectric constant in this frequency band in a micro-liquid culture of Mycobacterium, the growth ability can be detected from the quantitative fluctuation of bulk water. The 65-GHz near-field sensor array enables a real-time assessment of the drug susceptibility and growth ability of Mycobacterium bovis (BCG). We propose the application of this technology as a potential new method for MDR-TB testing.