Urine test detects not pregnancy but cancer
Paper strip uses nanoparticles to pick up evidence of tumors or blood clots in mice
By Meghan Rosen
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.