Washington State University researchers have developed a cancer-detecting Smartphone spectrometer they say will greatly speed up diagnosis. The low-cast Smartphone was designed to be completely portables while producing lab-quality results.

The product’s developers say their new device works by measuring levels of interleukin-6, a bio-marker associated with prostate, liver, breast and epithelial cancers. The phone comes equipped with a spectrometer that analyzes the amount and type of chemicals by examining the light spectrum. The research team says their new device will be able to generate instant diagnoses anywhere, including emergency rooms, an ambulance or a physician’s office.
The multi-channel spectrometer can measure up to eight different samples at the same time using a common test called ELISA that identifies antibodies and color change as disease markers, according to a study published in the journal Biosensors and Bio-electronics.

At a time when patients and medical professionals expect always faster results, researchers are trying to translate bio detection technologies used in laboratories to the field and clinic, so patients can get nearly instant diagnoses in a physician’s office, an ambulance or the emergency room.

The system currently works with an iPhone 5, but the researchers said they are creating an adjustable design that will be attuned with any Smartphone.

Tags: Cancerhealth newsLaboratorySmartphonespectrometerWashington