A Retrievable Sponge for Diagnosing Esophageal Cancer
April 9, 2019 | Terry Sharrer
In order to retrieve biomarkers for cancer of the esophagus, a doctor at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine had created a simple and effective “swallowable” device. “The patient swallows a small capsule that has a long string attached to it. After the capsule makes its way down the esophagus and into the stomach – a process that takes only a minute or so – the gelatin coating on the capsule begins to dissolve. From that capsule emerges a 2-centimeter polyurethane sponge, still attached to the string, much of which still hangs from the patient’s mouth.” MORE
Image Credit: The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine