Ultrasensitive particles offer new way to find cancer

Tiny particles that measure microRNA levels in tissue samples could help diagnose and monitor many diseases. CAMBRIDGE, Mass. ' About 10 years ago, scientists discovered a new type of genetic material called microRNA, which appears to turn genes on or off inside a cell. More recently, they found that these genetic snippets often go haywire in cancer cells, contributing to tumors' uncontrollable growth. A team of researchers at MIT has now engineered a way to detect abnormal microRNA levels in the blood of cancer patients, raising the possibility of developing a simple blood test to diagnose or monitor the disease. The technology, described in two recent papers in the journals Analytical Chemistry and Angewandte Chemie , consists of an array of tiny particles, each designed to latch onto a specific type of microRNA. By exposing blood samples or purified RNA to these particles, the researchers can generate a microRNA profile that reveals whether cancer is present.