# Korean team's carbon nanotube biosensor detects HIV-1 antibodies in high-ion serum-like conditions

- Published: 2026-11-11 17:29 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Medicine
- Tags: nanobiosensor, single-walled carbon nanotubes, Schottky junction, gold electrode, antibody detection, HIV-1 antibodies, serum conditions, organoids, Biosensors and Bioelectronics
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-ec838d5755aef6880c94176d_korean_team_s/

**KIT and Ajou University built a nanotube–gold junction sensor that registers antibody binding where ion concentration is high. The principle was verified on HIV-1 antibodies.**

![Korean team's carbon nanotube biosensor detects HIV-1 antibodies in high-ion serum-like conditions](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/34c3c9c7f01d2220.jpg)
*Prof Javad Foroughi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0*

The National Institute of Toxicological Science (KIT) and Ajou University have developed a nanobiosensor platform that detects antibodies in environments with a high ion concentration, KIT announced on the 11th, according to biz.heraldcorp.com. The work was led by Lee Jae-hyuk, principal researcher at KIT's Environmental Safety Research Center. [1] The results were published online on 4 September in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics. [1]

Existing carbon nanotube biosensors are highly sensitive, but their detection performance drops in high-ion environments such as blood or serum. [1] The team addressed this by focusing on the junction where a carbon nanotube meets a gold electrode. [1]

## Schottky junction as the signal source

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT), in which carbon atoms are arranged in a cylinder, have excellent electrical properties and are used as ultra-sensitive sensor material. [1] The researchers detected antibodies through electrical changes in the Schottky junction that forms where the SWNT touches the gold electrode. [1] With this approach, the signal from antibody binding could be read even in high-ion conditions. [1]

According to Lee, the approach does not simply avoid the electrical signal screening that is a problem in real biological environments, but uses the electrical changes at the nanotube–gold junction to detect the signal. [1]

## HIV-1 antibody test and next steps

To check performance, the team used antibodies against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) as the detection target. [1] The electrical signal produced when the antibodies bound to the sensor was observed in serum-like, high-ion conditions. [1] The signal also varied with antibody concentration, which, per the report, points to possible development into quantitative analysis rather than only detecting presence. [1]

HIV-1 antibodies were used to verify the operating principle. Changing the recognition material on the sensor surface would allow detection of other antibodies, proteins and biomarkers. [1]

The researchers plan to combine the nanobiosensor with three-dimensional cell cultures and organoids derived from human stem cells. [1] The aim is to measure in real time how cells and tissues respond to drugs or environmental hazardous substances and to analyze toxic responses in the human body more precisely. [1] Lee said the team intends to develop the platform into a human-mimetic biosensing platform. [1]

## Sources

1. [biz.heraldcorp.com](https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10933786)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-ec838d5755aef6880c94176d_korean_team_s/