A new CRISPR-powered light sensor can detect the faintest whispers of cancer in a single drop of blood.
Scientists have created an advanced light-based sensor capable of identifying extremely small amounts of cancer biomarkers in blood. The technology could eventually allow doctors to detect early warning signs of cancer and other diseases through a routine blood test.
Biomarkers such as proteins, fragments of DNA, or other molecules can signal whether cancer is present, how it is progressing, or a person’s level of risk. The challenge is that at the earliest stages of disease, these molecules exist in very tiny amounts, making them difficult to measure.
“Our sensor combines nanostructures made of DNA with quantum dots and CRISPR gene editing technology to detect faint biomarker signals using a light-based approach known as second harmonic generation (SHG),” said research team leader Han Zhang from Shenzhen University in China. “If successful, this approach could help make disease treatments simpler, potentially improve survival rates and lower overall healthcare costs.”
Writing in Optica, Optica Publishing Group’s journal for high-impact research, Zhang and colleagues reported that the sensor detected lung cancer biomarkers in patient samples at sub-attomolar levels. That means it was able to generate a clear signal even when only a handful of molecules were present. Because the system is programmable, it could potentially be adapted to identify viruses, bacteria, environmental toxins, or biomarkers linked to conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.
