Tattoo or urine: two new early cancer detection methods announced separately
Scientists announce a biomedical skin implant that turns dark when it detects high levels of calcium caused by four types of tumour, and a urine test that detects eight cancers. Also in the news: a new definition of Alzheimer’s disease
Swiss scientists have developed an experimental skin implant that darkens like a mole when it detects subtle changes in the body that may be an early warning sign of cancer, according to a study released on Wednesday.
The implant, or “biomedical tattoo,” as researchers call it, has been tested on lab animals, lasts for about a year and recognises the four most common types of cancer: prostate, lung, colon and breast cancer.
It works by reacting to the level of calcium in the blood, which rises when a tumour is developing. About 40 per cent of cancers could theoretically be detected this way, researchers say.
“The biomedical tattoo detects all hypercalcemic cancers at a very early, asymptomatic stage,” says lead author Martin Fussenegger, professor at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH Zurich.
Faster, cheaper MRIs a new breast-screening option from Hong Kong start-up
“If blood calcium levels remain high over longer periods of time, the calcium sensor in the biomedical tattoo cells produces an enzyme, tyrosinase, which converts the amino acid into the black skin pigment, melanin.”
If the wearer notices the spot darken, they should see a doctor about the reason for the change and determine if or what treatment is warranted, he says. “Early detection increases the chance of survival significantly.”