The handheld device that accurately diagnoses cancer in seconds

A new device could be about to revolutionise the way we detect cancer - during surgery. The MassSpec pen will give surgeons almost instant results on what to cut out and what to leave.

Developed at the University of Texas at Austin the system uses a drop of water to capture the molecules that all tissue gives off. Called metabolites - they form a set of biomarkers unique to each type of cancer.

That molecular fingerprint is then examined in a mass spectrometer - and compared with more than 250 different cancerous and healthy tissue types.

A surgeon simply holds the disposable pen against tissue they want to test and 10 seconds later the results are ready.

The team have filed U.S. patent applications for the technology and are working to secure world-wide patents.