| 'Almost invisible' tools are being developed by European researchers to discover diseases earlier and to treat patients better. At the same time the miniaturisation of instruments to micro- and nano-dimensions promises to make our future lives safer and cleaner. In Barcelona, Spain, a leading European research group (Centro Nacional de Microelectronica in Bellaterra) is developing a low-cost molecular detection tool: the "Biofinger". The tiny chips can detect a huge variety of substances, from cancer cells to chemical ingredients. The revolutionary idea is to use physical forces in nano-dimensions in order to search for molecules. A team of European researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Technologies institute near Saarbruecken is using nanotechnology to improve diagnostic capabilities. In the "Adonis"-project, nano-sized gold particles are used to detect prostate cancer cells at an early stage. |
