A chip from Stanford detects cancer in early stages
Scientists from Stanford University have developed a silicone ship which is able to detect cancer markers in blood while the disease is still in early stages. And it can do it all within an hour.
“This is essentially a proof-of-concept study showing that now we have a chip and a reader that can find multiple biomarkers in a sample at a concentration much lower than the standard that is commercially available,” said Shan Wang, a Stanford professor of materials science and electrical engineering, in a statement. “The earlier you can detect a cancer, the better chance you have to kill it. This could be especially helpful for lung cancer, ovarian cancer and pancreatic cancer, because those cancers are hidden in the body.”
The chip itself is made out of sixty four sensors. The sensors can detect changes in the magnetic field. Captured cancer proteins are tethered to magnetic nanoparticles. When the sensors detect the magnetic particles, they’ve also found the cancer markers.
The sensors that do all the job are actually carbon nanotubes, inserted in the DNA so they can easily get injected in the human body. “This work represents a giant leap … with significant potential for many applications, including cancer detection and management,” said Dr. Sam Gambhir, principal investigator of the Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence at Stanford.
Source: stanford.edu
