New cancer detector developed that's fast, sensitive, reliable

Cancers and many other diseases often reveal themselves by the presence of proteins absent or inactive in people who do not suffer from such ailments. Researchers are finding new biomarkers, as they are called, at a rapid pace, and they promise faster, more reliable ways to detect a disease earlier and to determine the prospect of recovering from it.

To take advantage of these "hot" new sources of information, researchers at Harvard University have developed a cracker-size electric sensor boasting wires thousands of times thinner than a human hair. In the near future, such sensors might test people for cancer while they wait in their doctor's office, or be implanted under their skin to monitor disease progression or the effectiveness of treatments.

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