Scientists Have Developed An Implant That Collects Cancer Cells
A study[1] published on September 8, 2015 edition in the online Nature Communications journal revealed scientists developed an implant that collects cancer cells.
The study was done in vivo on mice using biodegradable disks the scientists built. The disks were about half-a-centimetre (0.2 inches) wide and contained immune cells, which included Gr1hiCD11b+ cells, to capture cancer cells. Each mouse was fitted with two of the disks that also contained scanners to detect when cancer cells were collected.
The disks were able to collect significant amounts of cancer cells and reduced the tumor burden within solid organs 10-fold. Cancer cells were identified through a system using inverse spectroscopic optical coherence tomography, which identified nanoscale changes to cells caused by mutations in the cell.
Researcher Lonnie Shea said:
Animals receiving an implant had a significantly reduced burden of disease in their lungs relative to animals that did not have an implant.
The researchers feel implanting these disks in patients, after they have had treatment to remove their cancer, has the potential to detect cancer recurrence at its earliest stage. This would allow for early cancer treatment before metastasis occurs.
Shea hopes clinical trials with human cancer survivors will begin soon.
Tags: anti-cancer, cancer awareness
