From
Dark Daily
“A new chip, developed at Stanford University's Center for Magnetic Nanotechnology, has the potential to detect any of seven different types of cancer in their early developmental stages. Magnetic technologies give the biomarker chips increased sensitivity as compared to traditional fluorescent detection methodology. In some cases, this could be as much as 400 times more sensitive.
The device consists of 64 magnetic sensors known as Spin Valves. Each of these sensors is coated with a cancer-specific antibody, which will attach to a specific cancer protein. Using two sets of specially prepared antibodies, the tumor proteins are bound to magnetic nanoparticles so that the magnetic sensors can detect the cancerous proteins.
The chip, marketed as MagArray™, is a potentially important breakthrough. It offers markedly increased sensitivity versus fluorescence tests. This is due to the fact that biological samples create background fluorescence, but no magnetic noise, so it is much easier to pick out a positive result without error.
Secondly, the technology behind the chip should make it affordable and simple to manufacture for clinical applications. The system used to read the chip is smaller than optical systems currently in use for fluorescent detection.
Dr. Shan X. Wang, Ph.D., the scientist behind the technology, expects that the MagArray™ system will sell for less than $10,000.
The developers of the technology say the chip technology could also be expanded to diagnose other types of disease, detecting other proteins or DNA strands.”
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