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Tuesday, 17th October 2006 (8316 views)

Gold nanoparticles could play a key role in helping to detect the presence of cancer cells, claim US researchers.

Scientists at the University of Missouri-Columbia believe that using the unique photoacoustic signature of gold particles could enable the detection of just ten cancer cells in a blood sample.

Initial tests, detailed in the latest issue of Optics Letters published by the Optical Society of America, reveal that it may be possible to detect skin cancer by listening to the sound of melanoma cells via a mixture of laser and ultrasound technologies. Gold could be attached to the cells using proteins and ensure a strong photoacoustic presence.

It is hoped that the technique will eventually allow doctors to increase detection rates of skin cancer and improve the time scale of treating patients with skin cancer cells.

John Viator, a biomedical engineer at Missouri-Columbia and a co-author of the research, explained: "Our method can help doctors plan treatment to battle the spread of the disease."

He added: "It could take just 30 minutes to find out if there are any circulating cancer cells."

 

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