Jerusalem, 15 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli researchers have developed a polymer-based technology that could offer a simpler, potentially less costly way to detect blood markers associated with rheumatic heart disease. The approach is designed to reduce reliance on antibody-based reagents and refrigeration, potentially addressing some barriers to laboratory testing in low-resource settings.
The technology, developed by Prof. Ayelet David of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, uses a synthetic polymer that produces a measurable fluorescent signal when it binds to specific substances. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal ACS Biosensors.
Rheumatic heart disease develops when an untreated bacterial throat infection triggers an abnormal immune response that damages the heart valves. The World Health Organization estimates that the disease affected about 55 million people worldwide and caused approximately 360,000 deaths in 2021, with the burden falling largely on low- and middle-income countries.
Early detection can be difficult because patients may have few or no symptoms. Diagnosis typically involves medical evaluation and echocardiography, an ultrasound examination of the heart, which may be difficult to access in remote or underserved communities. Without timely diagnosis and treatment, the disease can cause permanent heart valve damage, heart failure, lifelong disability and premature death.
Blood tests could help identify patients who need further evaluation, but some existing tests rely on antibodies that are sensitive to temperature changes and require refrigerated transport and storage.
David, a researcher and lecturer at Ben-Gurion University’s School of Biomedical Research in the Faculty of Health Sciences, designed a system to detect biomarkers — measurable substances in the body that can indicate disease. The polymer combines a short chain of amino acids designed to bind to a specific biomarker with fluorescent dye molecules. Binding to the target can activate a fluorescent signal.
In the laboratory assays, the researchers captured the probes on nickel-coated plates and used a fluorescence reader to measure the signal and estimate the amount of biomarker present.
Testing the Polymer Probes
The researchers tested the probes in buffer solutions and fetal bovine serum spiked with labeled biomarkers. The probes detected E-selectin and VCAM-1 in buffer, but their performance differed in serum. The E-selectin probe produced a measurable, concentration-dependent signal in the spiked serum samples, while VCAM-1 detection was impaired, likely because other serum proteins interfered with binding.
E-selectin and VCAM-1 are molecules associated with inflammation whose levels have been linked to rheumatic heart disease. However, neither is an established standalone diagnostic marker for the condition, and the experiments did not establish that the technology can diagnose the disease in patients. Further research is needed to determine whether these biomarkers, individually or in combination, can help distinguish rheumatic heart disease from other heart valve disorders and inflammatory conditions.
If subsequent studies establish its reliability, the technology could eventually support biomarker screening in laboratories with limited resources. Its modular design allows researchers to replace the target-binding component to detect other substances, potentially extending the platform to additional diseases.
The researchers designed the platform as a potentially more stable and less costly alternative to antibody-based reagents. However, further testing will be needed to establish its storage requirements, practical cost, and suitability for laboratories with limited equipment. The current findings do not demonstrate that a complete diagnostic test can operate without refrigeration or specialized equipment under field conditions.
David said the platform could offer a practical approach to blood biomarker testing in low-resource settings. She noted that the polymer is relatively simple to manufacture, can remain stable under harsh field conditions, and can be adapted to detect additional biomarkers in blood.
Further studies will be needed to establish the technology’s performance in human blood samples, determine whether it can reliably distinguish patients with rheumatic heart disease from those with other conditions, and compare its cost and performance with existing methods. Its potential benefit lies in improving access to biomarker testing, rather than in a demonstrated improvement in diagnostic accuracy or patient outcomes.
The research was supported by the Leducq Foundation through the PRIMA consortium, an international collaboration involving researchers from Israel, the United States, Brazil, Tanzania, Uganda, India, Nepal and Canada.
