SMART researchers pioneer nanosensor for real-time iron detection in plants

Researchers from the Singapore-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Alliance for Research and Technology in Singapore, in collaboration with Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) and MIT, have developed a groundbreaking near-infrared fluorescent nanosensor that can simultaneously detect and differentiate between iron (II) and iron (III) in living plants. This first-of-its-kind nanosensor allows precise localization of iron in plant tissues or subcellular compartments, enabling the measurement of even minute changes in iron levels within plants. The nanosensor features single-walled carbon nanotubes wrapped in a negatively charged fluorescent polymer, forming a structure that interacts differently with iron (II) and iron (III).