By Prarthana Mitra
A new skin implant developed by the biosystems science department in ETH Zurich can now detect high concentrations of calcium in the blood, thereby alerting those who exhibit a higher propensity for certain kinds of cancer.
For the study, published in the Science Translational Medicine journal on Wednesday, researchers developed an implant whereby an artificial mole develops to serve as a tell-tale sign of the onset of cancer. With the help of this implant which grows darker only on hypercalcaemic skin, cancerous developments can be arrested in their early stages.
Here’s what happened
Human engineered cells were specially designed to detect hypercalcaemia (excess of calcium) which is often linked to common cancers of the breast, lung, prostate, and rectum.
The potentially groundbreaking study, undertaken by a team of biomedical engineers at the Basel-based lab, is known to have produced remarkable results when certain such cells were injected into two sets of field mice and later on pigs, one with cancerous growths that stem from over-calcification and the other with tumorous growths that do not affect blood calcium levels. The appearance of the mole on the first set led the scientists to conclude that the implant should be successful in predicting cancer for human beings as well.
The researchers added that if the mole “tattoo” appears in humans, it would be a sign to consult doctors for further testing and diagnosis.
Why you should care
Although there are several other commercially available cancer trackers, this device is groundbreaking for individuals as it gives them the agency to keep calcium consumption and accumulation in their body in check and seek consultations from doctors before it’s too late. Often cancer patients only go to the doctor once their tumours begin to cause problems and a lot of the times the late detection causes successful treatment.
Cancer is a widespread problem in India, with about 2.5 million people currently living with the disease. India has the third-highest number of cancer cases (in women) reported worldwide, with the numbers growing by about 5% annually. A report entitled “Call for Action: Expanding cancer care for women in India, 2017” published by Ernst and Young in September last year highlighted the lack of awareness and screening of the disease in the country.
“It is alarming that awareness levels of women-related cancers is low among the general population and even medical professionals. Despite the established benefits of screening, coverage in India is low for women,” the report emphasised. Given this, the new tracker technology can prove to be a real asset in early diagnosis and treatment for patients in the country.
Martin Fussenegger, a professor at the department of biosystems science and engineering at ETH Zurich in Basel, who led the study, said, “Early detection increases the chance of survival significantly.” Scientists are hopeful about the ability of this technology to diagnose cancer earlier, but experts are being cautiously optimistic, saying that the research is still in its “early days”.
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