Ultra-sensitive new biosensor ‘could aid detection of cancer’

An optical sensor developed using nanostructured metamaterials has shown potential to detect signs of cancer much earlier than is currently possible.

Created by physicists and engineers at Case Western Reserve University, the sensor is one million times more sensitive than the current best available option, possibly allowing a single molecule of an enzyme produced by circulating cancer cells to be detected.

Most circulating tumour cells express proteins of a very low molecular weight of 500 Daltons or less. To address this problem, the palm-sized nanosensor acts like a biological sieve, isolating small protein molecules weighing less than 800 quadrillionths of a nanogram from extremely diluted solutions.

This technology has the potential to help doctors determine the precise subset of cancer affecting a patient, delivering insights into the factors driving its growth and the therapies it will be sensitive to.

Giuseppe Strangi, professor of physics at Case Western Reserve and leader of the research, said: "With this platform, we've detected proteins of 244 Daltons, which should enable doctors to detect cancers earlier – we don't know how much earlier yet."