An implant that will produce an artificial mole on the skin when it detects cancer

A device that works like an early cancer detection system has been developed at the Swiss Institute of Technology. When a lesion is detected, an artificial mole will appear on the patient’s body, which is actually an advanced implant placed under the skin. The mechanism could potentially save thousands of lives.

Opocz illob cardiovascular cancers are the mainothe root cause of deathoIn industrialized countries. Many casesow could be cured if the disease had been diagnosed earlier. Unfortunately, most patientsow learns about cancer when it is already well developed. This greatly reduces the chance of successful treatment.

Scientists from around the world have been working for years on a way to diagnose many types ofoin cancerow. The same goal was pursued by Professor Martin Fussenegger of the Swiss Institute of Technology, whoory and his team of researchers have developed a potential solution to this problem. It is a subcutaneousorny implant acting as an early warning system. A description of its operation has been published by scientists on the „Science Translational Medicine”.

Early detection of cancer is key to using effective therapies. For example, if breast cancer is detected early, the chance of cure is 98 percent. However, if a tumor is diagnosed too poBadly, only one in four women has a high chance of being cured. – Nowadays, people usually come to the doctor when a tumor starts causing problems. Unfortunately, at this point it is often too poThe – admitted Fussenegger. – Early detection significantly increases the chance of survival – added.

The implant, developed in Switzerland, recognizes at a very early stage the four most common types of cancer: prostate, lung, colon and breast. The ability to detect this type of cancer earlyow would not only save the lives of many osob, but also reduced the number of costly therapies ktore putting a strain on health systems. When this type of cancer occurs in the body, significantly increased levels of calcium can be detected in the patient’s blood. This could be the first sign of the presence of a tumor.

Implant implanted under the skohand contains a network of genetically modified human comorek skory. Device continuously monitors calcium levels in the body. When calcium levels increase significantly, the device releases melanin – pigment, whichory causes skora at the site of the implant becomes dark. Something like a new artificial mole appears, whichory indicate a necessary and immediate visit to a doctor.

– The appearance of such a mole does not mean that a person has wkrotce will die. However, it should immediately go to a specialist for further evaluation of the condition – explained Fussenegger.

So far, the z implants have been tested on mice and pigs, ktorym injected into the comorki bowel or breast cancer. Successfully passed the tests.

The disadvantage of the device is krotka lifespan. Correct operation lasts about a year, then it is necessary to replace it. The implant could be commercially available within a decade.