The joint research team developed a Galvanic Molecular Entrapment (GME)–SERS platform that directly detects structural changes in proteins using saliva, replacing conventional diagnostic methods based on blood or cerebrospinal fluid that are costly and invasive.

This technology leverages plasmonic “hotspots” that form naturally as proteins are captured on nanostructures composed of copper oxide and gold (Au–CuO). A key feature of the platform is its ability to amplify the extremely weak Raman signals of biomolecules by more than a billion times.

Using this approach, the system can sensitively distinguish protein fibrillation states (monomers versus fibrils), which have been difficult to measure with conventional diagnostic techniques.