Biomarkers

Nobody enjoys giving blood samples, but it’s a necessary part of doctor visits. Soon we might not have to, thanks to a new device that can isolate biomarkers for different diseases using sound waves, from a single drop of blood, in around an hour.

A tiny chip with a unique surface can accurately detect the blood biomarkers of a heart attack within minutes, a fraction of the time taken by current methods. The researchers behind the device see it being used as an at-home diagnostic tool.

Researchers have developed a blood test that can accurately detect whether someone has been awake for 24 hours or more. They foresee the test being used like those that measure alcohol concentration or test for the presence of drugs in drivers.

Researchers have developed a chip that analyzes a patient’s blood for cancer cells, enabling physicians to determine whether lung cancer treatment is working by as early as the fourth week and allowing them to alter treatment as needed.

A new study has found that experiencing financial strain, of all life's stressors, had the strongest detrimental effect on the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems that, together, are crucial for maintaining good health.

Researchers have identified a blood protein ‘signature’ in the complement system, part of the immune system, of patients with long COVID that may improve the diagnosis and lead to a treatment for the debilitating condition.

MIT scientists have developed an easier method for diagnosing lung cancer – breathe in some inhalable nanoparticle sensors, then pee on a stick. The method should be less invasive than CT scans, and easier to perform in low-income regions.

Researchers have analyzed blood proteins to estimate the biological - as opposed to the chronological - age of bodily organs to predict a person’s risk of disease. The approach may lead to the earlier detection of disease in apparently healthy people.

Researchers have developed a handheld device that shines a safe laser into the eye to detect biomarkers of brain damage following a concussion or other traumatic brain injury, providing rapid, on-site diagnosis at the time of injury.

Researchers have identified a blood protein that can diagnose gastric and other cancers and is more accurate than existing biomarkers, even in the early stages of the disease. It may lead to the earlier diagnosis of these often stealthy cancers.

New research has found that elevation of a biomarker predicts the worsening of multiple sclerosis disability up to two years before it occurs, providing a timeframe in which interventions can be implemented to prevent or slow worsening disability.

Researchers have developed a quick, cheap, and highly sensitive blood test to detect a telltale protein produced by cancer cells. The test can pick up a range of cancers before symptoms appear and could be key to early diagnosis of the disease.