Testing cancer indicator in mice. Above - the skin of a mouse with a “mole”, below - a control individualSwiss scientists were able to create an artificial tattoo mole that can detect cancer at an early stage. The results of their work, experts
published in the authoritative scientific publication Science Translational Medicine. The principle of action of the cancer detection mechanism is quite simple - it turns dark when oncological markers appear in the body.
True, the mole can detect not all types of cancer, but only those that cause an increase in the calcium content in the blood. The development is intended for the early fight against cancer, which allows the body to increase the chances of successful treatment and the full recovery of the patient. As for the types of cancer that cause an increase in calcium in the blood, it is, first of all, breast cancer, cancer of the prostate, lung and colon.
The authors of the development are scientists from the Swiss Higher Technical School of Zurich. The study leader is Martin Füssnegger. Previously, physicians already knew that certain types of cancer can be detected if calcium levels in the blood rise. Then, after a series of studies, everything was confirmed.
Well, since an increase in calcium can be a sign of the onset of cancer, specialized systems can be used to determine this. In this case, the calcium-sensitive receptor (CDR) has become such a system, which is fully capable of recognizing even mild
hypercalcemia , not to mention moderate or strong.
Most physicians do not pay attention to the increase in blood calcium levels in the event of the first cases of malaise, or with symptoms that cannot be considered standard: general weakness or anorexia. In the later stages of the disease, symptoms appear, but then it may be too late - the disease affects the important organs of the human body and stretches its “tentacles” to many other organs.
In order to detect a dangerous disease in time, cells were created in which, with an increase in the level of calcium ions, the calcium-sensitive receptor located in these cells is activated. It starts the production process of a specialized enzyme that accelerates the formation of melanin. With an increase in the concentration of melanin, the mole begins to darken, warning of the dangers of the doctors.
It should be noted that initially the work of the cells was tested in vitro, that is, outside a living organism. The authors measured the dynamics of melanin production at different levels of calcium ion concentration in the blood. The work of the mole itself was also checked. To her, as an indicator of the disease, a number of demands were made, including the possibility of long-lasting melanin and the visibility of the formation itself. The pigment in question is fully capable of being stored in artificially created cells for a long time - from six months or more.
It is too early to speak about clinical trials of technology, but until now, experiments were carried out on genetically modified mice without hair, on whose body it is easy to track the appearance of a mole and the dynamics of its color. At the beginning of the work, the technology was tested as follows: tumors of the colon adenocarcinoma were injected into the organism of mice. That it is one of the reasons for increasing the concentration of calcium in the blood. In the control group, mice received adenocarcinomas that did not affect the calcium concentration.
As it turned out at the end of the experiment, the tattoo really darkens with the onset of cancer, but in animals from the control group, the color of the spot practically did not change.
Scientists argue that while there is no talk about the commercialization of technology, at the moment only a prototype of the sensor is ready. In their opinion, a tattoo will really help keep track of your health. True, there is a small problem. The fact is that the working time of the “mole” does not exceed a year, after which it must be updated.
In general, the technology is quite interesting, although not tested to the end. Anyway, the fight against cancer is the most important task of modern science. If people learn to successfully fight at least some of the oncological diseases, it will create a sensation in medicine and science.
Well, nanobots that are
programmed to block blood vessels can fight cancer tumors. This is necessary in order to deprive the tumor of nutrients and oxygen, as a result of which cancer cells “go crazy” begin to die en masse. This technology is relevant for a large number of types of cancer, since the blood vessels that deliver nutrients to the tumor are almost the same, and the nanobots trained to clog them can fulfill their purpose without any problems.