A device developed by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators may bring rapid, accurate molecular diagnosis of tumors and other diseases to locations lacking the latest medical technology. In their report appearing in PNAS Early Edition, the researchers describe a smartphone-based device that uses the kind of technology used to make holograms to collect detailed microscopic images for digital analysis of the molecular composition of cells and tissues.
“The global burden of cancer, limited access to prompt pathology services in many regions and emerging cell profiling technologies increase the need for low-cost, portable and rapid diagnostic approaches that can be delivered at the point of care,” says Cesar Castro, MD, of the MGH Cancer Center and Center for Systems Biology, co-lead author of the report.
“The emerging genomic and biological data for various cancers, which can be essential to choosing the most appropriate therapy, supports the need for molecular profiling strategies that are more accessible to providers, clinical investigators and patients; and we believe the platform we have developed provides essential features at an extraordinary low cost.”
