A team of experts at the Yale University has recently announced that it has developed a new series of nanosensors, a class of devices that is able to analyze whole blood samples, and detect the presence of cancer biomarkers in them. The latter are chemical agents that tumors and cancer cells produce, and their existence in the body can only mean one thing. The amazing achievement could soon enable physicians to cut the cancer-detection process short, leaving more time for the actual treatments.
Biomedical microdevices include any miniaturized devices or systems for biomedical or biological applications, from simple sensors for monitoring a single biological, to complex micro total analysis or lab-on-a-chip instruments that integrate multiple laboratory functions together with microfluidic sample manipulation. Biomedical microdevice and systems research is an exciting multi-disciplinary field intersecting engineering, physics, chemistry, nanotechnology and biotechnology.
Micromachining, originally based in the microelectronic industry, forms the foundation for this exciting field, in which biosensors, microchannel fluid transport, and other micro mechanical, optical, chemical, and fluidic components are fabricated and integrated for applications ranging from monitoring biofluid levels and bed side rapid diagnosis to studying single cell antibody production. Furthermore, micromachining can be combined with nanostructures or nanomaterials to result in new technologies and techniques that continue to advance the field in new ways.
