Two researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have came up with a smartphone-connected device that can return a cancer diagnosis in an hour, without biopsy.

Called D3, for Digital Diffraction Diagnosis, the system consists of a small device that attaches to the smartphone’s camera to convert it into a microscope which can analyze a sample of a few cells, either taken from a blood sample, a fine needle biopsy, or a Pap smear. As part of the diagnosis, user is required to injects special antibodies into the sample that “light up” when they find a cancer cell.

“The smartphone picks up the shining of the antibodies when the photo is snapped. And researchers can use this signal to diagnosis a patient with cancer,” said Dr. Ralph Weissleder, the team leader. “I am sure we will be able to detect other diseases too. It’s very similar to what a pathologist would actually do.”

In two pilot studies, D3 has performed comparably with pathologists.In two pilot studies, D3 has performed comparably with pathologists — in one study, it was tasked to determine whether cervical biopsy samples were high-risk, low-risk or benign; and in the other – to distinguish between four malignant tumors and four benign ones.

The system was originally designed for use in remote parts of Africa, and other places with underdeveloped medical infrastructure. But Weissleder and his co-team leader, Hakho Lee, believe it has applications at home as well, as it could help obtain fast test results for patients at a hospital or even at home.

The next step for researchers would include a large clinical trial in Africa, sponsored by an NIH grant.

[Via: mobihealthnews]