La Jornada: Portable device developed to detect cancer with a drop of blood

Chinese scientists have developed a portable device capable of detecting early signs of lung cancer from a single drop of blood, an advance that could facilitate faster and more accessible diagnoses.

Currently, cancer detection depends on bulky equipment capable of identifying small alterations in the properties of light, such as wavelength, caused by certain molecules present in a sample. Although this technology provides key information about diseases and biological processes, it requires highly sensitive components that are difficult to transport, limiting testing to hospitals and specialized laboratories.

Instead, the new device incorporates a sensor that analyzes how molecules refract light, instead of measuring the alterations they cause in their properties. To achieve this, it uses a three-dimensional chip made of a specialized material capable of manipulating light in ways impossible for natural materials.

Additionally, the system combines a light emitter, a detector, and that specifically designed material on eight-inch semiconductor wafers, which subsequently enabled its large-scale production.

According to the researchers, this technology could transform cancer sensors from exclusive laboratory tools to low-cost home detection systems.

“This simplifies the instrument design and makes the detection process more compatible with portable diagnostic systems,” the scientists wrote in Science X Dialog.

To test the device, scientists used it to detect extracellular vesicles, small bubble-shaped cellular structures present in extremely low concentrations in blood and other body fluids, the analysis of which can help identify diseases in early stages.

The new sensor managed to detect these particles in just 15 minutes and at minimum concentrations. According to the researchers, this represents a nearly 10,000-fold improvement in sensitivity compared to conventional laboratory assays.

Additionally, the team analyzed 170 human serum samples and found that the device could differentiate early-stage lung cancer samples from healthy tissue.