Paper-in-polymer-Pond: cost-effective device for fast detection of colorectal and prostrate cancers

 A research team from the University of Texas at El Paso has developed a system which is believed to detect cancer markers in the blood with greater responsiveness vis-à-vis current diagnostic methods. Known as a paper-in-polymer-pond (PiPP) device, the portable testing platform is comprised of paper (similar to that found in coffee filters) within a plastic framework.

 Using a drop of blood from a patient, the PiPP targets two cancer markers: carcinoembryonic antigen ( CEA linked to colorectal cancer) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA linked to prostate cancer) Both CEA and PSA show up in the blood in the early stages of cancer, which is why they are difficult to detect. PiPP, the researchers claim, catches these markers at low concentrations, which makes them radically more sensitive than the testing kits available inthe market. PiPP delivers results in an hour’s time.

This promising breakthrough assumes critical significance against the grim backdrop of a new research that has revealed that reveals that Gen X and millennial Americans are at higher risk of developing 17 cancers including colon and prostrate cancers, compared to earliergenerations. The innovation is especially disruptive for patients from developing countries who are unable to access cost-prohibitive quality screening resources which leads to higher mortality following late detection of the disease.     

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