Turkish researchers develop cancer diagnosis chip

ANKARA : Turkish researchers have developed a technology that can diagnose cancer cells from body fluids such as saliva, blood, phlegm or urine, state run-Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.

Quoting Dr. Vasif Hasirci, Director of  Middle East Technical University (ODTU) Center of Excellence in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (BIOMATEN), the news agency said the project's international patent application would  soon to be finalized through ODTU Technopark.

Hasirci, and his student Dr. Menekse Ermis Sen, aim to sidestep traditional diagnosis systems, such as biopsies, raising cost-efficiency and decreasing diagnosis times.

He said the micropatterned technology developed on ecological surfaces initially displayed a cellular response to biological processes in cancerous and non-cancerous cells, allowing them to measure the changes.

They also began to research the reasons that triggered changes in the shape of cells and researched links between the shape, property and type of cells.

Hasirci said they primarily began research on a cancer investigation chip for osteoma -- bony, benign tumors -- but added they are now looking at breast cancer cells, comparing healthy tissues to different cancerous cells.