How Mobile Phones Could Detect Cancer

A 3D printed attachment for a mobile phone has been developed that could be used to detect cancer-related changes in DNA.

Mats Nilsson, Aydogan Ozcan and their team out of Uppsala University in Sweden say the device could allow on the spot diagnosis and cut the costs and time involved in detecting cancer mutations.

Small tissue samples are inserted into the device, which then creates a fluorescent signal if the DNA mutations are present and the phone’s camera picks up that light. The researchers say the device offers a cost-effective approach to diagnosis in remote or inaccessible locations.

Although the device presented does not allow for detection of new mutations, it offers a cost-effective approach to molecular diagnosis that might be useful for resource-limited or geographically isolated settings. This technology has potential applications outside of cancer diagnosis, such as the detection of bacteria and viruses.

[Nature]


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