A Novel One-minute Heart Attack Test Professor Reinhard Renneberg Department of Chemistry, HKUST
The Biosensors Laboratory at HKUST under the leadership of Professor Reinhard Renneberg has developed a novel test to diagnose heart infarction (commonly known as heart attack) in just one minute. Through modern biotechnology research, the Laboratory produced special proteins called antibodies which can speedily recognize a "heart attack marker" that shows up in the blood after an attack. In a recent study, 50 patients were tested with 100% success rate. The test is easy to perform, and can be conducted in an ambulance so that diagnosis can be made on the way to the hospital. The test is more than a lifesaver. It helps save the government and patients a considerable amount of money. Each year, approximately 36,000 people in Hong Kong are admitted to hospitals due to heart problems. The average length of stay is 8.6 days, and the average cost per day is HK$572, thus incurring a total expenditure of HK$177 million. However, studies have shown that at least 20% of the patients did not, in actual fact, suffer from heart infarction, and therefore did not require hospitalization. By applying this innovative test system, it is anticipated that more than HK$35 million can be saved per year. For patients suffering from heart infarction, their blood contains high level of Fatty Acid-Binding Protein (FABP). Special proteins known as antibodies that are attached to the surface of the biosenor chip device can speedily recognize FABP, and separate it from other substances. The site of the FABP is marked with a microscopic red spot on the biosensor chip device. Millions of microscopic red spots forming a big red spot can be seen with a naked eye. The larger the red spot, the more serious the heart infarction. The FABP marker can tell whether a patient is suffering from heart infarction in just one minute. Classical markers require two hours to confirm the laboratory test result.	Professor Reinhard Renneberg joined HKUST in 1995 from Muenster University, Germany, where he was Head of the Department of Immunosensors, Fraunhofer Institute of Chemical and Biosensors. After obtaining his PhD from the Central Institute of Molecular Biology, Berlin, in 1979, he remained a member of the Institute's Biosensors Department for 16 years. Professor Renneberg is an expert in the development of novel biosensors and bioelectronics. He has established a strong research network with institutions in the Chinese Mainland, Germany, UK and the US. He is the co-editor of "Biosensors & Bioelectronics", the leading international journal in the field.
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