Urine test detects not pregnancy but cancer

Paper strip uses nanoparticles to pick up evidence of tumors or blood clots in mice

TEST STRIP A new paper test can pick up signs of cancer and cardiovascular disease in the urine of mice injected with nanoparticles. The top reddish line indicates the test is working and the bottom line reveals the presence of disease. A. Warren

Peeing on a strip of paper could one day reveal signs of cancer and cardiovascular disease. An experimental test uses worm-shaped nanoparticles to spot evidence of tumors and blood clots in mouse urine, researchers report February 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Unlike existing diagnostic tools, the test doesn’t rely on expensive equipment or detection of molecules made by sick people’s bodies. Instead the test looks for synthetic molecules injected into the bloodstream.

“It’s brilliant work — a totally different paradigm for detecting disease,” says analytical chemist Andres Martinez of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.

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ORIGINAL: ScienceNews

by Meghan Rosen
February 24, 2014