Researchers demonstrate breakthrough in early detection and monitoring of chronic diseases

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (03/31/2010) —A University of Minnesota research team, led by electrical and computer engineering professor Jian-Ping Wang and medicinal chemistry associate professor Chengguo Xing, has demonstrated a magnetic nanotechnology-based diagnostic technique that can accurately identify disease biomarkers and detect diseases in their early stages in unprocessed human blood, saliva or urine. This research, published in the March 31 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), highlights technology that may lead to performing accurate, multiple tests enabling early detection and monitoring of chronic disease, disease reoccurrence, and therapy efficacy. Their research also paves the way for identifying bio-molecules that make up various diseases, immune defense mechanisms, environmental and biosafety monitoring. "Our current health care system is facing an enormous financial burden mainly due to increasing cases of chronic diseases such as cancer," says Wang. "Due to the complexity of human biology and the chronic nature of cancer, it is extremely challenging to identify valid cancer biomarkers and to detect cancers in their early stages. Patients must always visit a clinic for testing. A low-cost, family-based medical device, which would allow patients to monitor cancer developments over a period of time by simply testing droplets of blood, saliva or urine for cancer biomarker changes, could have a major impact on cancer control through early detection." Traditional detection methods, like the ELISA test, take a long time to process, require high-cost equipment and professional training of staff, and do not provide the precision needed.