A research team led by Dr Mohd Mohsin, Assistant Professor in Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia(JMI) has developed a nanosensor to quantify the heavy metal arsenic toxicity in living cells. Arsenic poisoning has been a major concern that causes severe toxicological damages.
The developed nanosensor named as SenALiB (Sensor for Arsenic Linked Blackfoot disease) can be used to detect and quantify the level of arsenic in living cells without their destruction. It can be used to detect the level of arsenic even upto nanomolar range.
The FRET-based sensor is a simple and reliable approach that provides high performance measurements of changes in the arsenic concentration throughout the cells non-invasively and with high resolution.
The work has been published in the prestigious journal “Scientific Reports” a Nature group of Journal, recently.
One of the features of the sensor is that it is genetically encoded and uses fluorescence sensing assay technology to monitor and measure the rapid changes in the flux rates of arsenic (As3+) at real time and quickly reports them as fluorescence signals from living cells both at in vitro and in vivo level without requiring disruption or degradation of the biological samples.
The best thing with this nanosensor is that the toxicity level of arsenic can be measured in any type of cells and any given point of time.
The nanosensor has been filed for patents to Govt of India.
Dr Mohsin is running many ambitious research projects of Govt. of India as principal Investigator. He has published many research papers in reputed international journals like “Biosensors and Bioelectronics” a number one journal worldwide in the field of sensors and “BMC Nanobiotechnology”. His research interest focuses on developing nanosensors for healthcare and cellular environmental monitoring.
Dr Mohsin is the first researcher in India who initiated the research field of FRET based nanosensor development.
He has received the high Impact publication award in 2014 and 2016.
Dr Mohsin is the reviewer and editor of various reputed international journals and presented his research work in many countries and different research institutions and Universities of India. He is leading a group of 08 research fellows in JMI including PhD and Postdoctoral Scientists.
