Russian scientists unveil biosensor to detect cancer

A molecular biosensor invented at the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine in Siberia may contribute greatly to the early detection of cancer.

This biosensor looks like a silicon membrane, which resembles a sieve with perforations of exact size placed in a certain order. This device allows sorting out cancer cells since they are bigger than healthy ones. If there is a cancer cell in a patient's blood flow, the biosensor can capture it for further laboratory analysis. Deputy Director for Science at the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Dmitry Pyshnyi, comments:

"With the help of this biosensor we can detect rare cancer markers in a patient's blood flow. Thus a cancer cell may be filtered or captured".

The biosensor now can enable doctors to succeed greatly in early cancer detection. And in oncology this is probably the main thing. Dmitry Pyshnyi continues:

"Some forms of cancer are characterized by discharge of cells in blood. These cells travel in the organism searching for a place where to produce a tumor. So, if we detect such a cell, we are very likely to diagnose an oncological disease at the earliest possible stage- something which can hardly be achieved through other diagnostic methods".

The Siberian researchers, who have already submitted an application for a patent, say the use of unique materials provided by the Institute of Semiconductor Physics in Novosibirsk helped them much when they were inventing the biosensor.