Washington: Engineers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have designed a new sensor that could detect early diagnosis of cancer with a simple urine test.
The sensors, which can diagnose many different cancerous proteins, could also be used to distinguish the type of a tumour or how it is responding to treatment.
The nanoparticles sensors are designed so that when they encounter a tumour, they shed short sequences of DNA that are excreted in the urine. Analyzing these DNA "barcodes" can reveal distinguishing features of a particular patient's tumour.
The researchers designed their test so that it can be performed using a strip of paper, similar to an at-home Covid test, which they hope could make it affordable and accessible to as many patients as possible.
"We are trying to innovate in a context of making technology available to low- and middle-resource settings. Putting this diagnostic on paper is part of our goal of democratizing diagnostics and creating inexpensive technologies that can give you a fast answer at the point of care," says Sangeeta Bhatia, a Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at MIT. (ANI)
