$200 hand-held device detects cancer

[PoppaGeek]

The gold standard for detecting cancer cells in biopsies is immunohisochemistry — and detecting key antigens can be a time intensive process, requiring days to complete. Researchers at Harvard and MIT have developed a mobile mini NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) device operated by a smart phone that can be used at a patient’s bedside to detect cancer cells in under one hour.

Researchers state the parts to make the device cost $200 to manufacture, making it affordable for clinics or in poorer countries. More promising, however, are the results of a study just published in the Journal Science Translational Magazine that used the device to diagnose cancer. The study found the mobile device performed better than traditional methods of detecting cancer cells in biopsies.

$200 mobile cancer diagnosing device, operated by smart phone, made by Harvard and MIT researchers

A handheld scanner that can detect cancer at a patient's bedside using just a speck of tissue has been created by scientists from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The device, about the size of a desk telephone, is the world's smallest cancer diagnostic system, according to the scientists.
Described this past week in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the system uses antibodies and magnetic particles to seek out and flag cancer in cells, which are extracted with a needle, rather than large amounts of surgically removed tissue, researchers said.
The technique identified malignant tumors in 44 patients scheduled to have stomach tissue biopsies, the report said. It costs only $200 to manufacture, making it affordable for clinics or in poorer countries, said Cesar Castro, a co-author of the study and a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, which holds the patent on the technology.
"We have harnessed the power of nanotechnology to get real-time assessments," Castro said in a telephone interview. "Not only can it be used for diagnosis, but it will also allow us to see how the tumor is responding to therapy."

$200 hand-held device detects cancer

[stoneageman]

Looks promising . Just hope it's not another 'wonder' device you never hear of again

[Jaco]

I have read that dogs can also be trained to detect cancer and other diseases .
http://cbd.cancerdogs.co.uk/home.php