New cancer diagnostic tool developed

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have used nanotechnology to differentiate metastatic cancer cells from normal cells by measuring their softness.

The multidisciplinary UCLA team's research is said to represent one of the first times scientists have been able to take living cells from cancer patients and apply nanotechnology to determine whether they are cancerous.

Researchers said the nano science measurements might provide a new method for detecting cancer, as well as aiding in personalizing treatment.

Cancer cells are typically identified under an optical microscope, but normal cells often appear nearly identical to cancer cells. In the new procedure, researchers employed a nanotechnology atomic force microscope to measure cell softness by using a minute, sharp tip on a spring to push against the cell surface and determine the degree of softness without bursting the cell.

"You look at two tomatoes in the supermarket and both are red. One is rotten, but it looks normal," said Professor James Gimzewski, one of the study's senior authors. "If you pick up the tomatoes and feel them, it's easy to figure out which one is rotten.

The research is reported in the advance online edition of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.