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Listening for Cancer Cells

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the sorry-to-hear-that dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "According to researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia, it's now possible to detect skin cancer cells present in blood samples by listening to the sound of melanoma cells. The scientists have used a method named photoacoustic detection, which uses a laser to make cells vibrate and ultrasound techniques to pick the sound of cancerous cells. This technique is so precise that it's possible to identify the spread of cancer even if there are only ten melanoma cells in a blood sample. Still, large clinical tests must be done before this method can be widely used."

5 of 74 comments (clear)

  1. For those of you wondering by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 2, Informative

    It only works on melanoma (skin cancer) cells, which answers the question of "How do they know where to shine the laser?".

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    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
    1. Re:For those of you wondering by Stile+65 · · Score: 2, Informative

      They shine a laser at a blood sample, actually. This is only useful for detecting melanoma at an early stage of metastasis, where it's made it into the blood, but hasn't yet formed any noticeable tumors in areas of the body other than the skin.

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      I claim first use of "Error No. 0B" - or "No. 0B error." It'll be the new ID 10T!
    2. Re:For those of you wondering by javiator · · Score: 2, Informative

      This test can determine the relative number of circulating melanoma cells, so it can indicate response to treatment, remission, or relapse, so it may have value to the oncologist managing treatment of Stage IV melanoma patients. You are right, catching melanoma before metastasis is key, but for the advanced cases, this could be an important test. There's lots of work to do, but I think this is a promising technique. There certainly is a lot of clinical interest in my work. John Viator Assistant Professor, Biological Engineering and Dermatology University of Missouri, Columbia

  2. Re:Applicable to other cells? by Stile+65 · · Score: 2, Informative

    TFA talks about gold nanoparticles being attached to cancer cells and used the same way. It's fairly standard for the new nanotech-based imaging modes (attach a magneto- or photo-responsive molecule to a ligand that attaches itself to a surface protein that's overexpressed in cancer cells, and see where the molecule attaches). Targeted drug delivery is being done the same way.

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    I claim first use of "Error No. 0B" - or "No. 0B error." It'll be the new ID 10T!
  3. Re:lasers? by javiator · · Score: 2, Informative

    We actually used an optical parametric oscillator pumped by the third harmonic of an Nd:YAG laser...meaning the laser wavelength range was from 410-710 nanometers. You'd only get mutagenesis from a UV light source so we couldn't cause cancer in the sample. Besides, the laser irradiates a portion of cells separated from the blood sample. So the patient would never be exposed to the laser light. John Viator Assistant Professor, Biological Engineering and Dermatology University of Missouri, Columbia