At the Rovira i Virgili University in Catalan, Spain, researchers have developed and patented a microfluidic device for detecting circulating tumor cells within whole blood that originate from breast cancer tumors and which are responsible for metastasis. The device, reported on in journal Scientific Reports, and already tested on blood of breast cancer patients at different […]
Tag: Pathology
New Imaging Technique Provides Molecular Orientation in Samples to Help Study Neuro Diseases
A team of French scientists has developed a high speed imaging technique that provides them an unprecedented view of the chemical nature of biological samples. Not only does it provide an analysis of the chemical content, it also provides information about the orientation of the molecules detected. The newly available perspective of the molecular dynamics […]
High Speed Automated Whole Brain Slicing and Imaging System Revealed in Japan
AT Osaka University in Japan researchers have developed a new high speed system that slices and images brains significantly faster than previous approaches. These days it can take up to a week to slice, stain, image, and reconstruct brains in lab studies at a subcellular resolution. The number of slices is astounding, but by automating […]
Sepsis-Detecting Point-of-Care Microfluidic Chip Developed
Sepsis is common and often deadly. Early detection of sepsis can be incredibly useful in preventing its full onset by allowing in-time administration of antibiotics. A couple of biomarkers of oncoming sepsis is leukocyte count and neutrophil 64 (CD64), a neutrophil surface antigen. Researchers at the University of Illinois have now reported in journal Nature […]
Genetically Engineered Baker’s Yeast Detects Variety of Fungal Pathogens
Researchers at Columbia University have developed a cheap and easy to use fungal pathogen sensor based on store bought baker’s yeast. Currently available methods for detecting specific fungi involve expensive equipment, the use of refrigeration, and trained personnel. Using the team’s technique may result in cheap, readily available testing for a variety of fungal pathogens […]
Hand-Held Probe Can Detect Cancer Cells in Real-Time During Surgery
Scientists in Montreal, Canada have perfected a hand-held Raman spectroscopy probe that surgeons can use to distinguish between cancer cells and normal tissue. Raman spectroscopy is a technique that involves shining light on a material and analyzing how it scatters. Scientists have used the method for years to analyze and characterize living tissues and cells. This […]
Light-Sheet Microscopy Images Tumor Margins Intraoperatively to Guarantee Full Tumor Removal
Surgical tumor removal, particularly within the breasts, suffers from imprecision related to identifying the margins of where the tumor is. That’s because tumors are often indistinguishable from healthy tissue until they’re visualized and analyzed by pathologists using laboratory microscopes. The time it takes to confirm that sampled tissue is clear of cancerous cells takes longer than […]
Tiny Barometric Sensor to Detect Presence of Disease Biomarkers
Researchers from Jinan University in Guangzhou, China and Washington State University have developed a novel type of sensor that works by measuring pressure changes induced by the production of oxygen (O2). The technology may miniaturize and make readily available testing of a wide variety of biomarkers. The team of researchers has already demonstrated how the […]
Electronic Barcoding of Microparticles to Help Bring Disease Biomarker Detection out of Lab
As research is progressing in understanding human diseases, it turns out that many conditions have related biomarkers that show up in the blood and other body fluids. Being able to continuously monitor for the presence of disease biomarkers outside a clinical setting may allow for early detection of cancer and other diseases. Researchers at Rutgers University […]
Microchip for Sorting and Identifying Large Numbers of Circulating Tumor Chips
Detection and classification of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may soon become a common method for screening for multiple types of cancer. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) is popular one technique for spotting CTCs, but it’s limited because the number of available dye colors is small and because for CTCs of certain cancers there aren’t any markers at all. […]
Diagnosing Multiple Sclerosis with a Blood Test: Interview with IQuity CEO, Dr. Chase Spurlock
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that afflicts an approximate 2.5 million patients world-wide, giving rise to multiple issues regarding quality of life and the potential for disability. Up to 15,000 people are newly diagnosed with MS every year in the US, while another 45,000 experience a clinical precursor with similar symptoms. Distinguishing between MS […]
Microchip Sorts DNA Fragments by Size in Minutes
At the University of Twente in The Netherlands, scientists have come up with a rapid and inexpensive way of separating out DNA fragments from a sample. The technology will help speed up DNA sequencing, which normally relies on using computers to virtually combine millions of DNA fragments into a single string. Currently, the so-called fractionation process […]
Optoacoustics May Allow Surgeons See Tumor Margins for Accurate Excisions
While doctors have gotten pretty good at finding and excising tumors, identifying whether they have been removed in their entirety remains a challenge. Histology slides are today’s standard, but processing the tissue, freezing, slicing it, staining, imaging, and analysis take much too long. Patients are often sent home, only to find out later that a […]
LOCalizer Non-Radioactive Breast Lesion Localization System Now FDA Cleared
Tucson, Arizona-based Faxitron won FDA clearance to introduce its LOCalizer radio frequency identification (RFID) lesion localization system intended for tagging and subsequently honing in on breast lesions during surgeries. Radioactive tags and implanted wires are currently being used to mark neoplastic and suspicious breast lesions. Unlike radioactive isotopes, the LOCalizer doesn’t emit ionizing radiation and […]
Multi-Modality Imaging Probe to Diagnose Cancer Inside Body, Help Avoid Biopsies
These days, identifying cancerous tissue within the body requires a biopsy and a review of the extracted sample in a pathology lab. A team of German scientists have been working toward a way of spotting tumors using an endoscopic approach that doesn’t involve actually having to take samples. They’ve developed a multi-modality laser-based imaging probe […]
Novel Flexible Glove-Based Biosensor for Detecting Organophosphates
Organophosphates are toxic chemicals used as pesticides in agricultural practice and as nerve agents in biological warfare. Exposure to organophosphates can cause severe illness or death if appropriate safety measures are not taken. Rapid and accurate point-of-use detection of organophosphate pesticides or nerve agents would improve security in both food safety and defense scenarios. A […]
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Tiny Paper Pumps to Power Microfluidic Devices
Microfluidic technology promises to make a lot of medical tests, that are currently expensive and difficult to perform, a lot cheaper, easier, and more portable. While there’s been a tremendous amount of progress in this field, challenges remain. One is that microfluidic devices coming out of labs are often powered by much larger, external pumps […]
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Lasers Measure Cells’ Stiffness to Identify Neoplastic Ones
Unusual softness or stiffness is often an indicator of the presence of cancer in what otherwise may look like healthy tissue. There are already devices on the market that feel how elastic a given tissue is, but they come in contact and sample a very large number of cells at once. Researchers at Duke University have […]
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Nano-Scale Straws for Non-destructive Monitoring of a Cell’s Interior
Routine lab work to examine a host of biological parameters often depends on destructively lysing, or bursting, cells to release their contents for measurement. While this simple technique has been used for decades, it creates a constraint on protocol design because a given cell can only be analyzed once (when lysed) in a snapshot-like manner. […]
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Vortex Unveils VTX-1 Liquid Biopsy System for Easy Capture of Circulating Tumor Cells
Vortex Biosciences of Menlo Park, California just launched its VTX-1 Liquid Biopsy System, a device that automates the extraction of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from whole blood. The filter-free technology is based on microfluidic chips with a series of connected boxes linked by narrow channels. As blood is carefully pushed through the system, liquid vortexes […]
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