Chinese scientists have built a hand-held device to detect early signs of lung cancer from just a drop of blood, a groundbreaking advance that could enable easier and more timely diagnosis.
Cancer detection typically requires bulky instruments, confining testing to research labs or hospitals. The instruments work by detecting tiny changes in the properties of light, like wavelength, caused by the presence of sample molecules. The changes can convey information about biological functions or diseases but detecting them requires highly sensitive components that are often quite large to carry around.
