Sensitive sensor identified to detect cancer and HIV

A highly sensitive nanomechanical sensor was identified by the scientists from Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT). It helps in detecting cancerous tumours as well as viral disease markers for HIV, hepatitis and herpes.

The sensor detected by the scientists helps in analysing the chemical composition of substances and detecting biological objects. It can also detect viral disease markers, which appear when the immune system responds to incurable or hard-to-cure diseases, including HIV, hepatitis, herpes, and many others. It will enable doctors to identify tumour markers, whose presence in the body signals the emergence and growth of cancerous tumours.

According to the calculations done by the researchers, Dmitry Fedyanin and Yury Stebunov, showed that the new sensor will combine high sensitivity with a comparative ease of production and miniature dimensions, allowing it to be used in all portable devices, such as smartphones, wearable electronics, etc.

"So our goal was not only to achieve the high sensitivity of the sensor and make it compact, but also make it scalable and compatible with standard microelectronics technologies," he added.

By Lizitha