Electronic chips can detect cancer early

A medical research project in Europe has found a way to test whether a person has cancer with just one drop of the patient's blood and a computer.

Scientists have developed a device that can detect Hsp70 , a type of protein that has excessive thermal shock often found in patients in many types of cancer, such as prostate cancer, colon, and esophagus. lungs and brain. This helps to diagnose cancer very early in the examination process, which is very useful for doctors, thereby improving the results for patients.

This is part of the European 'Spedoc' Research Project developed by an EPFL group. The new device will be no bigger than a small suitcase, using an extremely sensitive Hsp70 detection platform, expected to be available in the medical market in 2014.

Spedoc chips can detect cancer early through searching for Hsp70 proteins (thermal shock proteins)

Spedoc platform only needs a drop of blood from the patient. Blood is inserted into a chip that contains many micro-channel leads. In each channel are circular nanostructures made of gold, with a surface chemical 'antibody' specially designed to 'trap' Hsp70. When blood flows through these micro-channels, the Hsp70 will be trapped by nanostructures, which have thousands of paths that blood can circulate across the entire chip.

The next step in this process involves improving the plasmonic process, a process to determine the amount of Hsp70 protein stuck on circular nanostructures. If Hsp70 is more realistic in the blood than allowed, patients will require further tests to detect cancer cells growing somewhere on the body.

Micro channels stored on this chip will not be bigger than a human hair. It is designed to break down blood samples and lead them into different areas of it.

The early detection method Spedoc has many advantages: fast and non-invasive, can replace the previously expensive method of early detection of cancer. Currently, Spain's Cosingo Company has built a prototype machine, but it still needs to be improved several times and tested extensively before being released to the medical market.

However, there are still many experts who are cautious with this new method. Specialist and physician Olivier Michielin of Olivus Michielin said: 'The Hsp70 tests seem quite interesting. However, it will take a long time before it becomes a frequently used test, despite the fact that this type of thermal shock protein usually occurs in cancer patients. In particular, it is necessary to prove that the discovery of Hsp70 can actually change the way patients are treated, helping to improve the effectiveness of specific cancers'.

Despite many doubts, project researchers believe that the Spedoc platform will certainly prove useful. Professor Maerkl, of the Spedoc project, stated that, once general principles are in place, specific tests on patients can always be adjusted for use on other biomarkers.