The implant sensor is very small as you can see here and made of the same type of material used for orthopedic implants. The information can be read and seen with an MRI. Chemotherapy agents can be monitored through the device, in other word move to another medication if one is not working. In addition, the sensors can also be modified to report on pH or oxygen levels.
If a tumor were being watched, it would also be able to determine when metastasis of cancer cells is starting to take place. I could see this used in many area of cancer. BD
Researchers are MIT are claiming an in vivo sensor device that could be implanted during a cancer tissue biopsy and remain in patients for
continuous monitoring of the disease's impact on their health.
The medical device aims to offer a more accurate tracking of cancer and how a patient is responding to treatment with the ability to repeatedly sample the local environment for tumor biomarker, chemotherapeutic agent, and tumor metabolite concentrations, which could improve early detection of metastasis and personalized therapy.
MIT explained that the cylindrical, 5-mm implant (pictured) contains magnetic nanoparticles coated with antibodies specific to the target molecules. Target molecules enter the implant through a semipermeable membrane, bind to the particles, and cause them to clump together, the school said. That clumping can be detected by MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).
The MIT research was funded by the National Cancer Institute Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence and the National Science Foundation.
Implantable sensor device claims to offer continuous cancer monitoring - 5/14/2009 - Electronic News
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