Scientists at Stanford University have developed a magnetic wire that can help doctors detect cancer before patients have symptoms of disease.

A new device that is implanted in a vein allows you to identify the disease by capturing tumor cells like a magnet. A wire that has a length with a finger and a thickness with a clip could be particularly useful for detecting such "silent killers" as pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer and kidney cancer, in which symptoms appear only in later stages of the disease, when the cancer is no longer possible heal. According to doctors, such a tool can save thousands of lives by detecting the disease at a time when the drugs will be most effective.

Cancer cells can freely enter the bloodstream, where they act as cancer biomarkers, signaling the presence of the disease. However, these cells are often small, so catching one of these biomarkers in a blood sample is often very difficult. "These circulating tumor cells are so small that they are difficult to identify in blood samples, even if they are taken several times," says Professor Sam Gambhir. "It's like finding a grain of sand in a full bath".

The new wire has magnetic nanoparticles that attach to cancer cells. In experiments on pigs that are anatomically similar to humans and suffer from the same genetic anomalies that cause cancer, the magnetic wire captured 10-80 times more tumor cells than the blood test. In real terms, he collected from 500 to 5000 cancer cells more than blood samples.

Physicians note that the possibility of using a magnetic wire can be much wider.

For example, a wire can allow doctors to quickly evaluate patient responses to specific types of treatment. If the therapy works, the levels of cancer cells in the blood should decrease. Also, the wire can be used to collect genetic information about tumors located in places where it is difficult to make a biopsy. With the help of a wire it is also possible to identify any other markers of diseases in the bloodstream. In addition to diagnostic capabilities, the wire can become a form of delivery of treatment.

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