Cancer diagnosis from a single spot of blood

RESEARCHERS from Swansea University have developed a sensor that they claim can diagnose ovarian cancer in minutes from a single spot of blood.

The test, which is known as an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy sensor, identifies markers associated with the early stages of the disease, by passing electrical currents through a tiny sample of blood placed in the device — and gives results in minutes.

They hope that it will lead to earlier diagnosis of the disease, which kills more than 270 Irish women a year, and allow earlier and ‘more appropriate’ treatment. The technique could be applied to other cancers, too.