Early detection of cancer, and specifically the ability to screen for biomarkers in whole blood, may one day revolutionize oncology by focusing on stopping the disease at its initial stages even before tumors develop or symptoms show up. Researchers at the Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona, Spain managed to bring together a number of novel technologies to create a lab-on-a-chip device that can simultaneously screen for a variety of protein cancer markers without molecular labeling.
The method relies on gold nanoparticles attached to antibodies that target specific proteins. These complexes sit inside tiny volumes into which blood is pumped in. By using localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR), the technique by which light is used to vibrate a metal at the nano scale, the chip is able to detect whether a gold nanoparticle has stuck to its target protein.
Here’s video with the researchers presenting the new device:
Study in Nano Letters: LSPR Chip for Parallel, Rapid, and Sensitive Detection of Cancer Markers in Serum…
Press release: An ultra-sensitive nano-chip for early cancer detection…