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Thursday, 20th August 2009 (4785 views)

Gold nanoparticles could be used to diagnose cancer, according to new research.

Scientists in China used the microscopic gold particles when looking in human blood for signs of the illness, the Royal Society of Chemistry reported.

According to the researchers at Shanghai Jiaotong University, the method could even be used to find viral or bacterial DNA and is very sensitive.

Duncan Graham, nanometrology expert at the University of Strathclyde, said that while the work by Jicun Ren's team is impressive, there needs to be more sensitivity before the existing method of using polymerase chain reaction amplification can be dispensed with.

The gold nanoparticles were used to find biomarkers of cancer in the blood.

Recently, VitalisNews reported the work of researcher Romain Quidant of the UPC's Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona.

Supported by the Cellex Foundation Barcelona, he is working on a treatment that would involve using gold nanoparticles to go into tumour cells in order to use laser light to destroy the cancer.

 

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