A joint team of professors—Hajun Kim, Taejoon Kwon, and Joo Hun Kang—from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNIST has unveiled a novel diagnostic technique that utilizes artificially designed polymers known as peptide nucleic acid (PNA) as probes. The research is published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.

The fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique works by detecting fluorescent signals generated when probe molecules bind to specific genetic sequences in bacteria. This innovative FISH method employs two PNA molecules simultaneously. By analyzing the genomic sequences of 20,000 bacterial species, the research team designed PNA sequences that specifically target the ribosomal RNA of particular species.

The method is significantly faster and more accurate than traditional bacterial culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, and it holds promise for reducing mortality rates in critical conditions such as sepsis, where timely administration of antibiotics is crucial.