71399 Scientists from University of Granada in Spain have developed magnetic bacteria that can be added to food to help diagnose diseases of the digestive system like stomach cancer.
cancer diagnosis
Now a part of your food can help diagnose digestive diseases like stomach cancer. The researchers have successfully incorporated magnetic particles into probiotic bacteria like those found in many foodstuffs. The magnetic bacteria after ingestion help diagnose diseases of the digestive system.
The new technology to diagnose cancer will facilitate the use of these probiotic bacteria, common in food, to diagnose and treat tumours and as an edible iron supplement.
The researchers tried to copy ‘magnetobacteria’ that naturally produce very limited numbers of internal magnets, to design these magnetic bacteria. This provided them with a means of orienting themselves as if they possessed an internal compass.
According to the researchers, the artificial magnetic bacteria could have biomedical applications in magnetic resonance imaging which facilitates diagnosis or in heating malign cells through magnetic hypothermia.
The research was done by the members of Bionanomet, the Metallic Bionanoparticle research group of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry and the Institute of Biotechnology of the University of Granada, in collaboration with BIOSEARCH SA, a private company.
Currently, a physical exam can help detect an advanced stomach cancer. The doctor will look for enlarged lymph nodes, an enlarged liver, increased fluid in the abdomen (ascites), or abdominal lumps felt during a rectal exam. Upper GI series (X-rays of the esophagus, stomach, and first part of the intestine) using special imaging equipment and gastroscopy and biopsy are also taken to diagnose stomach cancer.
The report was published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
