Scientists at the University of Florida and the National Yang Ming Jiao Tung University in Taiwan have developed a handheld biosensor that can detect oral cancer quickly and accurately. The results of his tests were published in the journal. Vacuum Science and Technology B Journal.
Oral cancer is the 13th most common cancer in the world and takes hundreds of thousands of lives each year. At the same time, it is easy to treat with early detection: the five-year survival rate exceeds 90%.
The biosensor developed by scientists is a device similar to a glucose meter. Several electrodes with antibodies to oral cancer marker molecules are located in the fluid channel. When these biomarkers are detected, the electrodes send short pulses and then the device displays a four-digit number corresponding to the biomarker concentration.
The authors of the development plan plan to begin in vivo clinical trials involving patients with oral cancer. The accuracy of the method will be compared with the gold standard biopsy for diagnosis.