Smart biosensors help detect inflammation early in patients with joint replacements

A team led by Elena Tomšík, a researcher from the Department of Conducting Polymers at the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, is developing smart biosensors for the early diagnosis of inflammation associated with joint replacements. These complications are among the most serious risks in modern orthopaedics and can lead to pain, implant failure, sepsis, or in extreme cases even amputation.
After a joint replacement is implanted, a thin layer of proteins forms on its surface, which in the case of infection causes changes in pH in the vicinity of the implant. However, current diagnostic methods often fail to detect these changes in time. In contrast, smart potentiometric biosensors enable faster and more accurate detection of inflammatory markers in body fluids. “Our biosensors can reveal inflammation before it fully develops and at the same time help to precisely identify the causative agent of the infection, which may allow targeted treatment to be administered,” explains Elena Tomšík.

A new project led by Elena Tomšík and supported since January 2026 by the Czech Health Research Council focuses on the development of highly advanced biosensors with higher accuracy, smaller dimensions, and broader diagnostic capabilities based on specific inflammatory markers. The project is being carried out within an interdisciplinary collaboration with Motol University Hospital, the Czech Technical University in Prague, and the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague.
The collaboration with these partners began as early as 2020, when Motol University Hospital was the main coordinator of the previous project funded by the Czech Health Research Council. The research results and the exceptional level of interdisciplinary cooperation were so significant that the project team received the prestigious Minister of Health Award for Health Research and Development on 10 December 2024.

In the future, these technologies could enable physicians to monitor the condition of patients with inflammation in real time and significantly contribute to reducing the risk of serious complications not only in joint replacements, but also in other implants

Officially published press release (in CZ).