Tiny Tube Tests Urine to Detect Disease

Oct-30-14 Researchers have developed a novel—and inexpensive—diagnostic tool that can identify disease biomarkers in urine by tracking the distance a liquid sample travels.

Created by a professor/student team at Brigham Young University, the device consists of a small tube lined with DNA sequences that will bond with the biomarkers of kidney disease and prostate cancer in urine. As the DNA latches onto the biomarkers, the sample will become clogged and slow its flow, stopping short of the distance traveled by a healthy sample. The device is sensitive enough to detect even very low levels of biomarkers and takes the place of a blood sample—both of which could lead to earlier detection of prostate cancer.

The technology could also be used to create diagnostic tools able to detect other diseases.

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[MEDGADGET.COM]
[NEWS.BYU.EDU]

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