$1 Dollar Liquid Based Biopsy Device Offers Way to Monitor Cancer Patients
Courtesy of Dark Daily:
Pathologists will be interested to learn that researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital are developing a “liquid biopsy” technology specifically to enable point-of-care monitoring of the progress of patients undergoing treatment for certain types of cancers.
The goal is to develop a method that community hospitals can use to monitor treatment of ovarian cancer patients without the need for expensive medical laboratory equipment, noted a report published by Biosciencetechnology.com. Researchers estimate that their ‘liquid biopsy’ technology could cost as little as $1 per test when eventually cleared for use in clinical settings.
The research team created a microchip device—called the ATC chip—that simplifies monitoring of a patient’s response to treatment for ovarian cancer and certain other malignancies. The device captures, isolates, and identifies tumor cells from ascites (ATCs).
