Release date: 2008-01-23
Scientists in the United States have made a breakthrough in cancer detection with the development of an ultra-sensitive device capable of identifying cancer cells in blood samples. The technology, created by researchers at Harvard Medical School, offers a new approach for early diagnosis and personalized treatment strategies. The findings were recently published in the prestigious journal Nature.
The innovative system is based on a small chip, roughly the size of a business card. This chip contains microterminals coated with specific antibodies designed to target and bind to cancer cells. As blood flows through the chip, these terminals act like molecular magnets, capturing tumor cells while leaving healthy blood cells untouched.
In a clinical test, the device was used on blood samples from 68 cancer patients suffering from various types, including lung, prostate, pancreatic, rectal, and breast cancers. Out of 116 samples, free tumor cells were detected in 115 cases. In comparison, traditional methods could only identify one to five cancer cells in 8 ml of blood containing up to 60 billion cells. The new technology, however, can detect as many as 1,000 cancer cells. Importantly, no cancer cells were found in the blood of healthy individuals.
This advancement significantly enhances the sensitivity of cancer cell detection, offering doctors more accurate data to guide treatment decisions. Moreover, the ability to isolate living cancer cells opens new possibilities for research and the development of more effective therapies. This innovation marks a major step forward in the fight against cancer and has the potential to transform clinical practices worldwide. ——Shanghai Medical Device Industry Association
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