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Extremely Accurate Nanotech Cancer Test Developed

Posted by Zonk on from the adventures-in-inner-space dept.

Sylvestre writes "Medical News Today reports that Harvard researchers have developed an accurate test for cancer using nanotechnology. From the article: 'Harvard University researchers have found that molecular markers indicating the presence of cancer in the body are readily detected in blood scanned by special arrays of silicon nanowires -- even when these cancer markers constitute only one hundred-billionth of the protein present in a drop of blood. In addition to this exceptional accuracy and sensitivity, the minuscule devices also promise to pinpoint the exact type of cancer present with a speed not currently available to clinicians.'"

9 of 128 comments (clear)

  1. RTFA by (eternal_software) · · Score: 4, Informative

    These tests are performed on a drop of blood. They don't enter the body!

    "A nanowire array can test a mere pinprick of blood in just minutes, providing a nearly instantaneous scan for many different cancer markers."

  2. Over the counter? by OwP_Fabricated · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I wonder when we'll be able to buy over the counter cancer tests? We're pretty much there for HIV.

    We're already a society of hypochondriacs. Imagine if you could test yourself at home for every devestating disease there is.

    Of course, I'm getting a ahead of myself. Early detection is the best defense. If this is as good as they say it is, it could save a LOT of lives.

    1. Re:Over the counter? by Manchot · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You are absolutely correct. If this can detect even the smallest cluster of cancer cells, it can be caught years before it would be detected using current methods. When cancerous clusters are very small, they are fairly easy to kill off. Therefore, this technology has the potential to be the mythical "cure for cancer" that we've been searching for for years.

    2. Re:Over the counter? by MBCook · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Hypochondria is a problem thanks to the Internet. There was that article a while ago on Slashdot about how doctors and hospitals don't see people thinking they have cramps or the flu, they get people who think they have appendicitis, cancer, and fatal familial insomnia and other insanely rare disorders. I know I have a bit of this (watch special about rare/deadly disease, start interpreting little things as "do I have this?").

      That said, if these tests were really that accurate and could be done at home, that might help. People who are hypochondriacs could test their blood and find out they DON'T have cancer. After using such a definitive test a couple of times they might very well "get the picture" that their next headache is a headache and not a brain tumor.

      On the other hand, if these things are sold to the public and have much of a false positive rate, that would be a BIG problem.

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  3. Other uses? by pin_gween · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Wonder if they can adapt this to be an accurate test for prion related disease like BSE (mad cow disiease). If it could be used for both humans AND other animals, the food supply could become safer.

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  4. This is COOL technology by zappepcs · · Score: 4, Insightful

    FTFA: "The work was supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Cancer Institute."

    Of course it is funded by DARPA, the army would love to have medical advancements like that on the battlefield. When a necklace every soldier wears instantly tells the med-tech that the wound the wearer is suffering has punctured a lung or spleen or something like that.

    I can also envision this kind of technology being incorporated in care-giving robots for the elderly and infirm. If you have a 'tri-corder' like medical diagnosis kit that can fit on a robot, the robot then would know what to tell the 911 operator when it called, other than "help, they've fallen and can't get up" and that makes this type of nanotech VERY cool. Talk about search and rescue... a robot finds bodies in the rubble, slaps a triage-analysis bandage on their skin and can then tell rescue workers what kind of medical treatments are necessary.... Well, I hope that is what comes of this stuff. That magic little microphone looking thing that Dr McCoy always waved around was damned cool!!

    I suppose one of the real drawbacks is that drug screenings for employment might be used to cancel insurance and work contracts etc. based on ineligiblity due to pre-existing conditions and bad things like that. (uhhhh thinking of bad scifi movies now)

    Still, its cool.

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  5. Sensitivity & Specificity by mictho · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Micro-cancers may spontaneously occur (and perhaps regress) frequently; no one really knows. However, most cancers presumably started as micro-cancers. I fear this test will pick-up "cancers" of questionable significance. What impact will such a test have on healthcare costs, if a battery of additional diagnostic tests are used to work-up a "positive" screening test?

  6. Cool, but useful? Not so sure... by xanthines-R-yummy · · Score: 4, Interesting
    This is really cool technology, and if you read the actual Nat Biotech article, they've improved the sensitivity by a couple orders of magnitude using some kind of lableing process (ie gold)...

    However, using this as a method of detecting cancer might not be so useful. The presence of various markers in the blood is probably normal. What you want to know, is whether or not these markers are present on cells when they should be absent. They claim to be able to detect PICOgrams/mL of a specific protein in the blood. Unfortunately, all males have PSA in their blood and it's the amount that's important, not its presence. That's just for prostate cancer. Unfortunately, the sad reality is that we don't know enough about most cancers for us to know what to detect to be useful.

    I can definitely see this as a useful tool for detecting hazardous chemicals and biologicals agents and scientists are always looking for more sensitive instruments. I think that's why the article appeared in Nature Biotechnology and not Nature. Still way impressive, though.

  7. Nano Overload... by LEX+LETHAL · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh great! Not only has my Nano been cursed with a delicate screen that invites scratches, now it seems it's capable of succumbing to cancer as well.