The future of personalized medicine is here, and it's all thanks to nanoscale biosensors. These innovative tools are revolutionizing the way we approach healthcare, offering a new level of precision and personalization. But here's where it gets controversial: while antibodies have been the go-to for medical diagnostics, these nanoscale biosensors are stepping up to the plate with a unique advantage.
Meet Nako Nakatsuka, an assistant professor at EPFL, who is leading the charge in this groundbreaking field. Her work with aptamers, a type of molecule, has earned her the prestigious 2025 Ruzicka Prize. Aptamers have the incredible ability to bind with high precision to key signaling compounds like serotonin and cortisol, making them measurable. This opens up a world of possibilities for personalized therapies, especially for neurological disorders.
Nako's journey is as fascinating as her research. With a background in traditional Japanese woodworking art, known as Kumiko, she brings a unique perspective to her work. 'Kumiko is about creating complex structures from simple, precisely defined wooden elements,' she explains. 'It's a modular approach, and that's exactly how we design our biosensors.'
When Nako and her team create biosensors, they work with familiar building blocks - short, single-stranded DNA sequences called aptamers. These aptamers bind with extraordinary specificity, guided by their shape, to capture even the smallest target molecules, such as neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. 'These biomarkers are crucial in understanding brain disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's,' Nako says. 'Aptamers offer a promising tool to advance diagnostics and therapies.'
The magic happens when the negatively charged DNA aptamer binds its target molecule. It undergoes a 3-D structural transformation, which also shifts the arrangement of electrical charges. 'When paired with devices that can detect these charge changes, the aptamer becomes a biological sensor element,' Nako explains. 'It generates a measurable electrical signal, providing valuable information about the target molecule.'
Using a nanopipette, a tiny glass cannula with fixed aptamers, the team has developed a biosensor that can detect dopamine in picomolar concentrations. This is a significant breakthrough, as detecting neurotransmitters in serum is incredibly challenging due to their low concentration in a complex matrix. The sensor is currently being refined and scaled up to quantify dopamine in samples from Parkinson's disease patients.
'Parkinson's disease leads to a decrease in dopamine levels in the brain, causing symptoms like tremors,' Nako notes. 'Our biosensor won't cure Parkinson's, but it could empower patients to monitor their dopamine levels and adjust their medication in real-time. It's about better patient care through personalized medicine.'
Nako's determination and endurance, honed as a triathlete, have driven her to spend almost a decade characterizing the binding of aptamers. 'Aptamers offer remarkable advantages over antibodies,' she says. 'They can be rapidly synthesized and tailored in the lab, allowing them to bind even the smallest molecules with precision. But after the hype of the 1990s, many researchers doubted their potential.'
Nako's perseverance paid off. As a young woman, she ventured alone from Japan to New York to pursue her bachelor's degree. It was a culture shock, but also an opportunity. She met Prof. Ipsita A. Banerjee, who encouraged and challenged her. 'Her group was doing tissue engineering research, and I realized chemistry could have a practical impact,' Nako recalls.
With her multidisciplinary background, Nako noticed a gap in aptamer research. 'There was a disconnect between those designing the aptamers, building the biosensors, and bringing them to clinical application,' she says. Inspired by the Kumiko style, where everything comes from a single source, Nako now leads a multidisciplinary team at EPFL, guiding projects from design to application.
Her research is making waves. The range of detectable biomarkers is expanding beyond small molecules to protein targets linked to Alzheimer's disease. A recently awarded ERC grant will support the development of a novel technology to map chemicals at the nanoscale. And a patent is already in progress for a novel aptamer architecture for detecting small molecules.
For Nako, it's not just about the research; it's about the people. 'Diversity in science is crucial,' she emphasizes. 'Good scientific outreach and teaching are essential. Teachers have an incredible influence on people's lives, and I'm grateful to those who believed in me and gave me opportunities. I want to pay that forward.'
Join us as we celebrate Nako Nakatsuka's achievements at the Ruzicka Prize Lecture 2025. She will be speaking about 'Chemical Nanotechnologies for Sensing Small Molecules in Human Health.'
Date: November 27, 2025
Time: 5-6 pm
Location: Lecture hall G3, HCI building, Campus Hönggerberg
Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about the exciting world of nanoscale biosensors and their impact on personalized medicine.
