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Tuesday, 23rd June 2009 (5205 views)

Gold has been used by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to develop a 'chemical nose' that could be used to seek out cancer cells.

A team of scientists led by Vincent Rotello and Joseph Jerry have employed the precious metal in the production of the cancer detection device, which is constructed using an array of nanoparticles and polymers.

As well as establishing the differences between healthy and cancerous cells, the researchers are also able to identify metastatic and non-metastatic cancer cells.

"The chemical nose can be designed to alert doctors of the most invasive cancer types, those for which early treatment is crucial," Mr Rotello explained.

He said that the team intends to work on developing the nose to give more precise feedback to doctors, adding that a wider variety of nanoparticles will be added in order to improve the results that are gathered.

The precious metal is often used in the development of cancer treatment techniques, with Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers recently suggesting gold nanorods could help destroy malignant cells.

 

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