These \"smart\" contact lenses detect tumours by detecting substances found in tears in the early stages of the disease.<\/p>\n
Scientists have created \u00absmart\u00bb contact lenses that can diagnose cancer by testing the chemicals in the wearer's eyes. The lenses detect tumours by identifying certain substances found in tears during the early stages of the disease.<\/p>\n
This innovation, the researchers say, could lead to the development of an inexpensive screening programme for multiple types of the disease.<\/p>\n
According to scientists at the Terasaki Institute of Biomedical Innovation, the lenses capture transporters called \u00abexosomes\u00bb, which are tiny bubble-like messengers. They are found inside cells and are secreted in blood, saliva, urine and tears. On their surface is a plethora of proteins - some of which are fueled by cancer, viral infections or injury.<\/p>\n
Exosomes can influence tumour regulation, progression and spread - offering hope for more targeted and effective treatment.<\/p>\n
Reducing treatment delay dramatically improves cancer survival rates, as each month without treatment is estimated to increase the risk of mortality by about 10%.<\/p>\n
\u00abThe lens can detect exosomes in solutions from various cell lines as well as human tears,\u00bb said project leader Professor Ali Khademhosseini, of the Terasaki Institute of Biomedical Innovation in the United States, where the diagnostic lenses were developed.<\/p>\n
The lens is equipped with microcameras attached to antibodies to which the exosomes attach. In experiments, the lenses have been successfully tested on exosomes secreted in laboratory fluids from ten different tissue and cancer cell lines, as well as in tears from ten volunteers.<\/p>\n
\u00abThe lens can be coloured with specific antibodies with nanoparticles for selective imaging,\u00bb Khademhosseini explained.<\/p>\n
\u00abThis offers a potential platform for cancer screening and a supportive diagnostic tool that is easy, fast, sensitive, cost-effective and non-invasive,\u00bb he added.<\/p>\n
This is very important, as current methods involve tedious, complicated, time-consuming and expensive equipment and take at least ten hours to complete. The scientific team's simple technique solves these problems. In addition, tears are a cleaner and more reliable source of exosomes than other bodily fluids.<\/p>\n
Both the chambers and the lens were manufactured by direct laser cutting and engraving instead of conventional moulding. In addition, the researchers chemically modified the surfaces to activate them to bind antibodies. The usual methods involve metallic or nano-carbonate materials under precise clean-room conditions.<\/p>\n
Further analysis showed that the lens detected exosomes in solutions from three cell lines with different surface markers and using different combinations of antibodies.<\/p>\n
\u00abThe resulting patterns of detection and non-detection of exosomes from the three different cell lines were as expected. We validated the ability of the system to capture and accurately detect exosomes with different surface markers,\u00bb Khademhosseini noted.<\/p>\n
The study was published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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