King’s College scientists in London have developed a solution that could help millions of patients worldwide, who need biopsies to detect and control diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Standard biopsies are one of the most common diagnostic procedures worldwide. But they can cause pain and complications. And they can deter the Patients looking for an early diagnosis o Monitoring tests, explains the news center of this institution.
In addition, they extract small fragments of tissue, which limits the frequency and exhaustivity with which doctors can analyze sick organs such as brain.
Now, an interdisciplinary team of the King’s College in London proposes a Nanoagujas patch that collects molecular information from the tissues without extracting or damaging them. This could help health teams to control the disease in real time and repeat the tests in the same area as many times as necessary, something impossible to do with traditional biopsies.
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Thousand times finer than hair and do not extract fabric
Since nanoagujas are a thousand times finer than human hair and do not extract tissue, do not cause pain or damage, which makes a big difference for patients compared to standard biopsies.
“This advance opens a world of possibilities for people with brain cancer, Alzheimer’s and for the advance of personalized medicine. It will allow scientists, and eventually doctors, studying the disease in real time as never before, ”says Dr. Ciro Chiappini, director of the research published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
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Without destroying fabric, they allow you to take several samples
In preclinical studies, the team applied the patch to cancerous brain tissue extracted from human biopsies and mice. The Nanoagujas extracted “Molecular footprints” —Incluid lipids, proteins and mRNA – of the cells, without eliminating or damaging the tissue.
Then they analyzed the footprint with mass spectrometry and artificial intelligence, which gave them detailed information about the presence of a tumor, their response to the treatment and cell evolution of the disease.
“This approach provides multidimensional molecular information from different Cell types within the same fabric. Traditional biopsies simply cannot do that. And since the process does not destroy the tissue, we can take samples of the same fabric several times, which was previously impossible, ”says Chiappini.
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Faster decisions in brain surgeries
Technology could be used during brain surgery to help surgeons make faster and more precise decisions. For example, when applying the patch in a suspicious zone, results could be obtained in 20 minutes and guide decisions in real time on the removal of cancerous tissue.
Manufactured with the same manufacturing techniques as computer chips, nanoagujas can integrate into common medical devices, such as bandages, endoscopes and contact lenses.
This advance has been possible thanks to the close collaboration between nanoingenier, clinical oncology, cell biology and artificial intelligence, each of which has provided essential tools and perspectives that, together, have given rise to a new approach to non -invasive diagnosis.
(With EFE information)
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