Nanosensors Able to Detect Cancers

Eric Stern, from Yale University (Connecticut, USA), and colleagues have developed miniature nanosensors capable of detecting cancers.  Utilizing a small quantity of blood collected from a patient, the sensors detect a particular protein in the blood with a high specificity and accuracy.  In a two-stage approach, a microfluidic purification chip simultaneously captures multiple biomarkers from blood samples and releases them, after washing, into purified buffer for sensing by a silicon nanoribbon detector.  The technology was capable of detecting two model cancer antigens from a 10 uL sample of whole blood in less than 20 minutes. Commenting that: “ This study marks the first use of label-free nanosensors with physiological solutions, positioning this technology for rapid translation to clinical settings,” the researchers are hopeful that this technology will translate into quick, easy and low-cost tests that can are performed in the doctor's office to detect cancer with a high degree of accuracy.