Summary

Original source:
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/02/issue/feature_nano.asp

Details

• If you are among the third of the population who will someday develop cancer, your body will contain warning signs well before your doctor is able to diagnose the disease.
• The problem is that the changes that mark the early stages of cancer are remarkably complex---and often slight, even on a molecular level.
• But James Heath, a physical chemist at the California Institute of Technology, believes that nanotechnology could finally provide the solution to this molecu­lar riddle.
• Heath is betting that banks of ultrasmall silicon wires, each made to detect a specific cancer-related protein, could pick up even the most subtle changes in our body chemistry.
• The nanosensors that Heath and his Caltech coworkers are developing will simultaneously look for hundreds or even thousands of different biomolecules in, say, a drop of blood.
• Blood tests exist for a few cancers, such as prostate and ovarian cancers, but their performance is woeful; not only are they slow and costly, but they're notoriously unreliable.
• Heath's ambition is to construct devices that can not only make multiple measurements at once, from a drop of blood or a few cells taken from a particular tissue, but also detect extremely small quantities of biomolecules.
• "We have identified 300 [cancer marker] genes that are uniquely expressed in the prostate," says Hood, "and we predict that about 62 of these may be secreted into the blood.
• A Fluid Situation What exactly would a nanosensor to detect such proteins look like?
• Charging this electrode alters the conductivity of the nanowire, turning it "on" and "off"---all familiar stuff to any electrical engineer.
• Heath then transforms his nanowire transistors into tiny biosensors.
• Say, for instance, that one nanowire is to act as a sensor for a particular protein.
• The researchers coat the surface of the wire with antibodies that will stick to the target protein but not to other molecules.

Related Articles

Popular Topics: Cancer, Nanotechnology, Cancers, Diabetes, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Heart disease, Depression, High cholesterol, Osteoporosis, Vaccines, Autism, ADHD, Infertility, Weight loss, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Trans fats, Acrylamides, Fluoride, Mercury	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/003496.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/003496.html">Nanotechnology might be key to better detection of cancer's early stages </a>
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber! Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.	Your Email Address: Free Subscription Code: Enter the numbers you see: 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.
Recommended Special Report: Seven Words that can Change the World by Joseph R. Simonetta Read this special report now... "Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com	More on NaturalNews.com: • Streaming Health Ranger Videos • CounterThink Cartoons • FREE Special Reports • Podcasts