Optical Sensor to Detect Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Georgios Tsiminis, research fellow at the University of Adelaide, “Older adults are particularly at risk of B12 deficiency due to age-related reduction in absorbing vitamin B12 received through their diet.

Currently at proof-of-concept stage, the sensor demonstrates feasibility of testing for vitamin B12 in human blood serum without the need for a full laboratory test. It could provide point-of-care B12 tracking in, for example, healthy ageing adults, enabling early treatment intervention as soon as deficiency is detected.

“This is the first time a rapid technique based on optical spectroscopy has been shown to be able to detect vitamin B12 in human blood serum. We believe this is a very promising first step towards achieving this goal,” said Dr. Tsiminis.

Currently, routine B12 testing is not being carried out due to time and cost limitations. “Our method provides a realistic basis for a system that is portable, cost-effective, and affords rapid results, along the lines of the pin-prick test for diabetes,” said Dr. Tsiminis. The device uses Raman spectroscopy to produce the vitamin B12 optical fingerprint, takes under 1 minute to measure B12 in human blood, and requires minimal preparation.

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University of Adelaide