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Nano-Biochip Makes Oral Cancer Detection Easier, Quicker

by Amar Toor on April 7, 2010 at 10:50 AM

Usually, doctors rely on lengthy and invasive biopsy procedures to diagnose oral cancer by extracting tissue samples from patients. Now, the diagnostic process may become a lot less invasive -- and a lot faster -- thanks to a new diagnostic nanochip device.

Researchers at Rice University claim to have developed a new, ultra-small biochip that can detect malignant and pre-malignant oral lesions with significant accuracy (and with much less discomfort). After using the device to examine a sample of 52 patients, Dr. John McDevitt and his research team found the nano-biochip to be 93-percent "specific" in detecting malignant lesions, a rate that compares well with more invasive diagnostic methods. In a press release, McDevitt explained, "One of the key discoveries in this paper is to show that the miniaturized, noninvasive approach produces about the same result as the pathologists do."

Besides the obvious benefit that minimizing patient discomfort offers, McDevitt's latest innovation can also return results in substantially less time than traditional means. Typically, it takes several days for biopsies to come back. The biochip, on the other hand, can give results in just 15 minutes. And like many other forms of cancer, early detection of oral malignancies is crucial. As CNET reports, the five-year survival rate for oral cancer patients is around 60-percent, but can shoot up to 90-percent if doctors detect it early on.

For now, the device will be tested in a larger sample of 500 patients across Houston, San Antonio and the U.K., and could receive official FDA approval within two to four years. The way McDevitt sees it, dentists could eventually be able to test for the disease as a routine part of any dental check up. It may not make visiting the dentist any more enjoyable, but it could definitely pick up on early warning signs... and save some lives in the process. [From: CNET]

Tags: biochip, cancer, diagnosis, health, medicine, nanotechnology, nanotechnology battery, NanotechnologyBattery, OralCancer, pathology, science, top

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