Russian and South Korean Researchers Develop Portable Device for Early Cancer Detection

Researchers from several Russian universities working with colleagues from South Korea have developed a portable device capable of detecting microplastics and markers of early-stage cancer in blood. The developers say the device achieves an accuracy rate of about 90%.

The system is built around a fiber-optic cable fitted with a metalens. Tests are performed using a laser beam and do not require additional bulky laboratory equipment.

Portability is the device’s main advantage. The instrument is roughly the size of an adult’s palm, allowing medical tests to be carried out in almost any location.

At present, individual nanoparticles can be detected using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, but such equipment is expensive, bulky and confined to laboratory use. Transporting samples can also distort or damage particles before analysis.