Australian scientists have made a major breakthrough in heart disease detection by creating a new saliva test that could quickly and easily identify early signs of heart failure.
This new technology, developed by researchers from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Griffith University, could make diagnosing heart failure faster, cheaper, and more accessible—especially in rural and remote areas.
Heart failure is a serious condition that affects around 64 million people worldwide. It happens when the heart cannot pump blood as well as it should, leading to fatigue, shortness of breath, and swelling in the legs or ankles.
Unfortunately, early signs are often vague and easily missed, meaning patients are usually diagnosed only after the condition has become severe. At that point, treatment options are more limited and the chances of recovery are lower.
Traditionally, doctors diagnose heart failure using blood tests, imaging techniques like echocardiograms, and hospital-based evaluations. These methods are accurate but can be expensive, time-consuming, and unavailable in many parts of the world.
That’s why the idea of detecting heart failure through a simple saliva sample is so exciting—it could give people a way to screen for the disease without needing complex medical equipment or hospital visits.
The test works by detecting a specific protein called S100A7, which is found in higher levels in people with heart failure. Healthy people have relatively low amounts of this protein in their saliva, but heart failure patients tend to have about twice as much. By identifying this difference, doctors can get an early warning sign that something may be wrong with the heart.
The team behind the study used a new technology called mRNA display to create special protein detectors. Instead of relying on natural antibodies from the human body, they built millions of synthetic proteins and tested which ones were best at recognizing the heart failure marker S100A7.
The top-performing designs were then produced in bacteria using a process similar to brewing beer—but instead of making alcohol, the bacteria produced protein sensors. This innovative “synthetic biology” method is faster and cheaper than traditional approaches and could be adapted to detect other diseases just by changing the target protein.
In their study, the scientists tested saliva samples from 31 people who had been diagnosed with heart failure.
Their biosensor matched standard medical test results 81% of the time, and it performed even better at ruling out false positives—correctly identifying healthy individuals 82% of the time, compared with 52% accuracy for standard methods. These results suggest that the saliva test could be a reliable and efficient tool for early diagnosis.
Dr. Roxane Mutschler, the lead author from QUT, explained that this kind of simple, point-of-care testing could reduce the burden on hospitals and allow people to monitor their health at home.
She said it could also play a big role in personalized healthcare, giving patients the ability to spot warning signs early and track how their condition changes over time.
Although the study was relatively small, the results are highly encouraging. Larger clinical trials will be needed to confirm how well the biosensor works in different populations. The researchers are also improving the technology so that it can handle a wider range of protein levels and detect multiple conditions using the same device.
One of the most exciting aspects of this technology is that it could easily be adapted for other diseases. The system’s design allows researchers to change the protein detector, just like switching out an attachment on a power tool, so the same base device can test for different illnesses.
This flexibility means it could one day be used to detect cancer, infections, or even metabolic disorders through a simple saliva sample.
In conclusion, this new saliva-based biosensor represents a big step forward in how we detect and monitor heart failure. By making screening more accessible and affordable, it could help millions of people catch the disease early, when treatments are most effective.
With further testing and development, it might also pave the way for a new generation of noninvasive diagnostic tools that bring high-quality healthcare to everyone, everywhere.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that vitamin K helps cut heart disease risk by a third, and a year of exercise reversed worrisome heart failure.
For more health information, please see recent studies about supplements that could help prevent heart disease, stroke, and results showing this food ingredient may strongly increase heart disease death risk.
The study is published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics: X.
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