• Popular
    • Medicine
    • Radiology
    • Cardiology
    • Surgery
    • Nanomedicine
    • Military Medicine
    • Rehab
  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS
  • Submit PR
  • Log in
Medgadget
Medgadget
  • Popular
    • Medicine
      Cancer Organoids Offer Insights into Treatment Outcomes

      Cancer Organoids Offer Insights into Treatment Outcomes

      Cell Culture Chamber Mimics Mechanical States of Disease

      Cell Culture Chamber Mimics Mechanical States of Disease

      Laser-Based Breath Analysis Detects COVID-19 Infection

      Laser-Based Breath Analysis Detects COVID-19 Infection

      Technique Reveals 3D Genome Interactions

      Technique Reveals 3D Genome Interactions

    • Radiology
      Implanted Ultrasound Lets Chemo Access Brain

      Implanted Ultrasound Lets Chemo Access Brain

      Wearable Ultrasound Measures Tissue Stiffness Under Skin

      Wearable Ultrasound Measures Tissue Stiffness Under Skin

      Brain Decoder Spells Out Thoughts

      Brain Decoder Spells Out Thoughts

      RF Technology for Health Monitoring: Michael Leabman, CTO of Movano Health

      RF Technology for Health Monitoring: Michael Leabman, CTO of Movano Health

    • Cardiology
      Cell Culture Chamber Mimics Mechanical States of Disease

      Cell Culture Chamber Mimics Mechanical States of Disease

      Chest Wearable Provides Key Heart Measurements

      Chest Wearable Provides Key Heart Measurements

      Vein on a Chip Includes Flexible Valves

      Vein on a Chip Includes Flexible Valves

      Knitted Glove Massages the Hand to Treat Edema

      Knitted Glove Massages the Hand to Treat Edema

    • Surgery
      Automated Computer Assistant for Kidney Transplant Rejection Diagnostics: Interview with Study Authors

      Automated Computer Assistant for Kidney Transplant Rejection Diagnostics: Interview with Study Authors

      Soft Robotic Electrode Enables Minimally Invasive Placement

      Soft Robotic Electrode Enables Minimally Invasive Placement

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Stimulating Wounds with Electricity for Rapid Healing

      Stimulating Wounds with Electricity for Rapid Healing

    • Nanomedicine
      Bottlebrush Nanoparticles Deliver Immunostimulatory Drugs

      Bottlebrush Nanoparticles Deliver Immunostimulatory Drugs

      Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Therapy to the Lungs

      Nanoparticles Deliver mRNA Therapy to the Lungs

      Nanoparticles Get Lymphatic Vessels Pumping

      Nanoparticles Get Lymphatic Vessels Pumping

      Bottlebrush Particle for Synergistic Drug Combinations

      Bottlebrush Particle for Synergistic Drug Combinations

    • Military Medicine
      Wearable Can Take Multiple Sweat Samples

      Wearable Can Take Multiple Sweat Samples

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Wound Dressing Detects Infection, Changes Color

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Device Measures Hemoglobin More Accurately in Dark Skin

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

      Fingertip Sensor Measures Lithium Levels in Sweat

    • Rehab
      Brain Decoder Spells Out Thoughts

      Brain Decoder Spells Out Thoughts

      Knitted Glove Massages the Hand to Treat Edema

      Knitted Glove Massages the Hand to Treat Edema

      Empowering Stroke Survivors: Interview with Kirsten Carroll, CEO at Kandu Health

      Empowering Stroke Survivors: Interview with Kirsten Carroll, CEO at Kandu Health

      Smart Walking Stick for Visually Impaired People

      Smart Walking Stick for Visually Impaired People

  • Categories
    • Exclusive
    • A-D
      • Anesthesiology
      • Art
      • Cardiac Surgery
      • Cardiology
      • Critical Care
      • Dentistry
      • Dermatology
      • Diagnostics
    • E-I
      • Emergency Medicine
      • ENT
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • GI
      • Informatics
    • M-N
      • Medicine
      • Military Medicine
      • Nanomedicine
      • Net News
      • Neurology
      • Neurosurgery
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • O-P
      • Ob/Gyn
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • Orthopedic Surgery
      • Pathology
      • Pediatrics
      • Plastic Surgery
      • Psychiatry
      • Public Health
    • R-V
      • Radiation Oncology
      • Radiology
      • Rehab
      • Reproductive Medicine
      • Space Medicine
      • Sports Medicine
      • Surgery
      • Thoracic Surgery
      • Urology
      • Vascular Surgery
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Submit PR
  • About
  • Log in
  • Submit PR
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • RSS

Implantable Nanotubes for Early Cancer Detection

April 3rd, 2017 Mohammad Saleh Nanomedicine, Oncology

Early cancer detection is an all-too-familiar challenge for oncologists who routinely discover tumors after they have progressed to dangerous and life-threatening stages. While some semi-frequent checks such as endoscopies and mammograms are recommended for particular age groups, the field still lacks a viable method to frequently screen for cancer without significant cost to the healthcare system and a risk to patient health. A recent report by Dr. Daniel Heller’s team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) describes a new nanosensor technology that promises to bring accessible and continuous monitoring to enable detection of cancer at its earliest stages.

Schematic of carbon nanotube optical sensor for early disease detection via biomarker recognition. Image courtesy of Heller Lab

A significant research effort has been put into identifying molecular biomarkers that would signal underlying diseases such as cancer. A subset of these molecules, miRNAs, are easily found in accessible bodily fluids, such as blood or urine. However, detecting them is labor- and resource-intensive. To address this, the team used carbon nanotubes to design a miniature sensor. They took advantage of the intrinsic ability of carbon nanotubes to fluoresce in the near-infrared range, the light being suitable for harmless transmission through soft body tissue. The intensity and wavelength of this fluorescence is highly sensitive to the surface condition of the nanotubes.

Pairing the nanotubes with specific oligonucleotide sequences allowed the researchers to fish out target miRNAs from relevant biofluids, while maintaining the ability to detect a variety of targets by changing the detection sequence. Upon hybridization to the target miRNA, the detection oligonucleotide is displaced from the nanotube’s surface and replaced by surfactant molecules. This process alters the nanotube’s surface chemistry, allowing for measurable shift in its fluorescence signal that correlates with the amount of miRNA present in the nanosensor’s environment.

The researchers showed that this technology reliably detected clinically relevant miRNA biomarkers in serum and urine samples. They also embedded the nanosensor in a semi-permeable membrane that was implanted into a live mouse, demonstrating its functionality and that the signal was detectable through tissue. They even showed that altering the chemistry of the nanotubes enabled for multiplexed detection of two target biomarkers at different wavelengths.

While a lot of optimization and safety demonstrations need to be completed before this technology makes it to the clinic, it would certainly be more accessible than the standard biopsy or imaging test. This platform opens the door for continuous monitoring of biomarkers, making it as easy as shining an infrared light and reading the output – just like a barcode. Immediate applications include monitoring the progress of a therapy, and for detecting tumor growths in high-risk individuals such as survivors of cancers with high recurrence rates. The team envisions that such implantable sensors can be coupled with wearable technology to allow for continuous monitoring and fingerprinting of disease-associated biomarkers, seamlessly conveying this information to a physician.

Article in Nature Biomedical Engineering: A carbon nanotube reporter of microRNA hybridization events in vivo

More from MSKCC: Detective Work – How Implantable Nanosensors Could Monitor Cancer Activity…

Mohammad Saleh

Mohammad is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto. He completed a Masters in Immunology and a Bachelors degree in Engineering Science from UToronto (major in Biomedical Systems Engineering). He is working on developing synthetic receptors, cell-based vaccines, and on immuno-cloaking to enable the use of synthetic biology in cell therapies. His interests and previous work at UToronto and Harvard Medical School encompassed immunoengineering, tumor immunology, and regenerative medicine.

Sponsored

Packaging Compliance Labs (PCL) Celebrates Site Expansion in Grand Rapids, MI

Novel Approach to Assessing Lung Function Enables Improved Detection, Diagnosis and Treatment Decisions in Subject Exposed to Military Burn Pits

U.S. Patent Office Grants Additional Patent Protection For  Exoskeleton Focal-Force Angioplasty Platform

U.S. Patent Office Grants Additional Patent Protection For Exoskeleton Focal-Force Angioplasty Platform

Reliefband® State of Nausea Study Reveals More Than Three-Quarters of Americans Are Prevented from Enjoying Life As a Result of Regular Nausea

Reliefband® State of Nausea Study Reveals More Than Three-Quarters of Americans Are Prevented from Enjoying Life As a Result of Regular Nausea

New AI-Powered Voice Controls Streamline Ultrasound Imaging with All Clarius Handheld Systems

New AI-Powered Voice Controls Streamline Ultrasound Imaging with All Clarius Handheld Systems

interviews & reviews
Automated Computer Assistant for Kidney Transplant Rejection Diagnostics: Interview with Study Authors

Automated Computer Assistant for Kidney Transplant Rejection Diagnostics: Interview with Study Authors

RF Technology for Health Monitoring: Michael Leabman, CTO of Movano Health

RF Technology for Health Monitoring: Michael Leabman, CTO of Movano Health

AI’s role in Healthcare: Exclusive Interview with Catherine Estrampes, President & CEO at GE Healthcare

AI’s role in Healthcare: Exclusive Interview with Catherine Estrampes, President & CEO at GE Healthcare

Digital Self-Neuromodulation Therapy for PTSD: Interview with Oded Kraft, CEO of GrayMatters Health

Digital Self-Neuromodulation Therapy for PTSD: Interview with Oded Kraft, CEO of GrayMatters Health

Levels Is Making Metabolism and Blood Glucose Tracking Accessible To Everyone

Levels Is Making Metabolism and Blood Glucose Tracking Accessible To Everyone

Imagene Profiles Cancer Biomarkers in Real Time

Imagene Profiles Cancer Biomarkers in Real Time

Empowering Stroke Survivors: Interview with Kirsten Carroll, CEO at Kandu Health

Empowering Stroke Survivors: Interview with Kirsten Carroll, CEO at Kandu Health

  • Subscribe
  • Contact us
  • Submit
  • About
  • Back to top
Medgadget

Medical technologies transform the world! Join us and see the progress in real time. At Medgadget, we report the latest technology news, interview leaders in the field, and file dispatches from medical events around the world since 2004.

  • About
  • Editorial policies
  • Contact
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Submit press release
  • Advertise
© Medgadget, Inc. All rights reserved. | The Medical Revolution Will Be Blogged.
Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! Thank you!
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email