$200 Gadget Diagnoses Cancer In Hours

Still at the research stage, an electronic device built by U.S researchers from Harvard and MIT can diagnose malignant tumors on the spot (<1hr)  instead of "days". And it does it with a 96% accuracy, which is much higher than the 84% accuracy of today's methods. Although this is extremely promising,  the technology is still at the testing phase and has been tested on only 70 patients. However, it did diagnose cases where other methods had failed to raise a flag.

The most interesting part is the potential cost: at $200, this technology can be used in the poorest countries, and eventually, it will have the size of a cellphone. Researchers also believe that after detecting the disease, the device can help them monitor it. Read the full paper (subscription required). Image credit: R.Weissleder via Physorg

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