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Monday, 23rd April 2007 (4620 views)

Gold nanoparticles are being used in the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer, according to scientists.

Researchers at the BMTI Institute for Biomedical Technology in the Netherlands are using tiny gold particles attached to cancer cells in a bid to detect the illness early while treatments also use the precious metal.

Gold is very responsive to heat and it can be warmed up very quickly when infra red light of the correct wavelength touches it. Antibodies then attached to the nanoparticles recognise specific cancer cells and apply pressure to them.

This pressure eventually generates ultrasound which turns into the noise which indicates the presence of cancer cells to the doctor.

This system is predicted to be more efficient than the current imaging techniques like X-ray and MRI used by doctors to diagnose patients with cancer.

The scientists are using funding from a Dutch research programme called IOP Photonic Devices.

 

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