A NOVEL heart failure test using saliva instead of blood could transform how doctors detect and monitor the condition. Researchers in Australia have developed a biosensor capable of identifying a key heart failure biomarker quickly, accurately, and without invasive procedures.
Breakthrough for a Simple Heart Failure Test
Heart failure affects over 64 million people globally, yet diagnosis often comes too late for effective treatment. Current tests rely on blood sampling, hospital-based imaging, and complex evaluations. These are expensive, time-consuming, and often unavailable in rural or low-resource settings. The newly developed heart failure test aims to make detection faster, cheaper, and far more accessible.
Dr Roxane Mutschler from the Queensland University of Technology explains that early symptoms are frequently vague and easily overlooked. “Patients often only seek help when the disease has progressed significantly,” she says. The saliva-based biosensor could fill this diagnostic gap, allowing clinicians to spot disease activity before irreversible heart damage occurs.
How the New Heart Failure Test Works
The team, led by Professor Chamindie Punyadeera at Griffith University, discovered that the protein biomarker S100A7 is present at higher levels in the saliva of heart failure patients. Using an innovative mRNA display technique, they custom-built protein detectors that latch onto this marker with high precision.
When tested on 31 heart failure patients, the biosensor matched standard clinical tests 81% of the time and correctly ruled out the disease in 82% of cases compared with 52% for conventional methods. This heart failure test is not only more accurate in ruling out false positives but also significantly faster to administer.
Future Potential and Clinical Implications
Although still in early stages, researchers believe this saliva-based heart failure test could ease the burden on hospitals and laboratories while improving patient outcomes through earlier diagnosis. The same technology could be adapted for other conditions by simply changing the target biomarker, paving the way for portable, personalised health diagnostics in clinics and at home.
Reference
Mutschler R et al. Protein biosensors of heart failure biomarker S100A7. Biosensors and Bioelectronics: X. 2025;DOI:10.1016/j.biosx.2025.100700.
