Urine Test for Ovarian Tumors
June 13, 2017 | Terry Sharrer
By the best methods currently, the smallest detectable ovarian tumor has already reached 1 cm in diameter. More often ovarian cancer is detected later when survival chances have slipped to little or none. To improve this late diagnosis, MIT researchers have developed a nanoparticle which allows early ovarian cancer detection in a urine sample. “The new test makes use of a “synthetic biomarker” — a nanoparticle that interacts with tumor proteins to release fragments that can be detected in a patient’s urine sample. This kind of test can generate a much clearer signal than natural biomarkers found in very small quantities in the patient’s bloodstream.” MORE
Image Credit: Justin H. Lo, MIT News