Student Startup winners working on non-invasive rapid cortisol test
Victoria Arombaeva, a third-year student at the Institute of Chemistry, has been awarded a 1 million ruble grant. Her classmates, Daria Kameneva and Marsel Nuritdinov, will work with her on developing the test.
“Our idea is to create an accessible and convenient device for quickly and accurately determining cortisol levels in human saliva. The test will be non-invasive, analyzing saliva rather than blood serum,” Arombaeva explains. “The idea came about spontaneously. In our second year, we started taking a course called Innovative Economics and Entrepreneurship, where we had to work on projects for six months. To begin, we needed to identify several pressing problems and address them. We sought inspiration and spoke with various people to find out what was in demand. One student, looking at her coffee mug, said that many people were now concerned about their stress levels due to the accelerated pace of life. We seized on this idea and began to explore it further, studying the topic and existing analysis methods.”
Cortisol, or the stress hormone, is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex.
The rapid test will be based on immunochromatographic analysis using silicate nanoparticles and fluorescent dyes. According to the student from the Institute of Chemistry, there are no similar tests on the Russian market yet. The project is interdisciplinary, incorporating analytical, physical, and organic chemistry, as well as nanochemistry, nanotechnology, and medicinal chemistry. Development is being conducted at the Institute of Organic and Physical Chemistry of the Kazan Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“The device will be a strip-shaped cassette, reminiscent of a COVID-19 test. The technology is based on modified silicate nanoparticles, which allow for rapid, accurate results. Fluorescent dyes will ensure convenient visualization of the results,” the grantee shares.
It is also important that stress levels can be determined without laboratory testing. Testing will be conducted in three steps, one just to apply the sample to the cassette substrate and wait 10-15 minutes for the control line to appear. The results can be interpreted using the scale included with the rapid test, similar to the pH scale used in litmus paper or a mobile app.
“For our device, we’ll use saliva as the sample analyzed. When a person experiences stress, cortisol is released into their blood, which then diffuses into the saliva. We can analyze this—that’s why the test is non-invasive—and obtain fairly similar results. The principle is the same as a pregnancy test. Saliva hits the test strip and begins to move. The test strip has two markers; one is always visible, indicating that the antibodies are working and serves as a reference. Our device displays one strip in any case, while the other is displayed depending on the cortisol level. If the cortisol level is high, the saliva, moving along the strip, begins to pick up the antibodies on the marker, and the color intensity decreases. If the cortisol level is low, the color intensity remains the same or decreases slightly,” explains Arombaeva.
The grant funds will be used to register a legal entity, purchase reagents and equipment, create a pilot batch of rapid tests, conduct preliminary trials, then develop a final batch for testing and trials, and create a website. According to Victoria, the startup already has the foundations in place, including developments in the synthesis of silicate nanoparticles, and has identified interested parties. The possibility of engaging third-party resources is being considered if necessary, and collaboration with medical organizations is also planned.
“Currently, the media greatly influences the thoughts, interests, and hobbies of internet users. We are seeing people’s interest in personalized medicine, the impact of stress on well-being, and attention to their health. For example, the concept of ‘cortisol face’ has emerged online. All this is driving increased demand and the possibility of commercialization. If the technology is successful, the possibility of upgrading it to allow rapid and highly accurate analysis of multicomponent mixtures is being considered,” the student concludes.