Pen detects cancer in 10 seconds

Scientists have developed an innovative pen that can detect cancerous tissues in just 10 seconds, making tumor removing surgeries quicker, precise and safer.

Dubbed as ‘The MasSpec Pen’, researchers from University of Texas, publishing their findings in Science Translational Medicine, claimed that according to tests, the technology is 96% accurate.

The pen, when touched to a suspected cell, gives out a tiny water droplet. Chemical from the living cell move into the droplet and is then sucked up by the pen for analysis. The pen is plugged into a device, mass spectrometer that calculates the mass of numerous chemicals every second. Then after 10 seconds, it develops a chemical fingerprint that tells whether the tissue is healthy or cancerous.

The pen was initially tested on samples of human lung, thyroid, breast, and ovarian cancers along with tests in living mice with breast cancer. This pen could be beneficial in confirming that none of the cancer is left behind along with keeping in view that the tissue is not destroyed when it’s being analyzed, writes Fox News.

Assistant professor Livia Eberlin informed BBC, “What’s exciting about this technology is how clearly it meets a clinical need. The tool is elegant and simple and can be in the hands of surgeons in a short time.”

Though the pen is cheap, the device it is connected to, the mass spectrometer is costly and huge. “The roadblock is the mass spectrometer, for sure,” said Dr. Eberlin.

Large scale tests would also be conducted soon. Dr. Eberlin informed, “We’re going to start testing it in surgeries hopefully early next year. That will be a pilot study with our current clinical collaborators. Then we’ll likely have to expand to a larger clinical trial.”

Apart from biomedical applications, the pen is also likely to be used in forensic, environmental or pharmaceutical applications.