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Monday, 29th June 2009 (973 views)

Nanoparticles made from gold atoms can be used to detect changes in cancer cells, scientists have found.

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have used dye-containing nanoparticles manufactured by Intel to develop new imaging technology that could result in the ability to measure over 100 features of cells, AZoNano reports.

Led by Cathy Shachaf, the team of scientists believes the breakthrough will enable them to track changes to intracellular proteins, which could give them the ability to diagnose cancer earlier.

It may also be possible to improve the development of chemotherapeutic drugs and although scientists are currently only able to view cells on slides, in the future they could be able to examine moving cells using technology similar to the flow cytometry scanning chambers that are already available.

Gold has also been used by scientists at the University of South Carolina's NanoCenter, who utilised nanoparticles made from the precious metal in a study into the effect such materials could have on marine life.

 

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