Publications by authors named "Unathi Sidwaba"

Tuberculosis (TB) is a worldwide burden whose total control and eradication remains a challenge due to factors including false positive/negative diagnoses associated with the poor sensitivity of the current diagnostics in immune-compromised and post-vaccinated individuals. As these factors complicate both diagnosis and treatment, the early diagnosis of TB is of pivotal importance towards reaching the universal vision of a TB-free world. Here, an aptasensor for signaling an interferon gamma (IFN-γ) TB biomarker at low levels is reported.

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Heavy metal contamination remains a major threat to the environment. Evaluating the concentrations of heavy metals in water environments is a crucial step towards a viable treatment strategy. Non-cadmium photo-luminescent I-III-VI ternary QDs have attracted increasing attention due to their low toxicity and extraordinary optical properties, which have made them popular in biological applications.

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Indinavir is a first-generation HIV protease inhibitor anti-retroviral (ARV) drug. Due to interindividual differences in the rate of indinavir metabolism, clinicians and pharmacologists have expressed urgent need for sensor devices that will enable real time determination of appropriate dosage. In this study, an indinavir biosensor was developed by the functionalization of a cysteamine-modified gold (Cyst|Au) electrode with biocompatible core-shell 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA)-capped palladium telluride quantum dot (PdTeQD) and the heme-thiolate cytochrome P450-3A4 (CYP3A4) enzyme.

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