IBM and Swiss Hospital Test New Tool for Diagnosing Cancer
IBM and Swiss Hospital Test New Tool for Diagnosing Cancer © IBM Research

IBM, Swiss hospital test cancer diagnosis tool

IBM scientists are working with pathologists at the University Hospital Zurich to test a new prototype tool designed to accurately diagnose different types of cancer. This work is based on a technology developed by IBM scientists called a ‘microfluidic probe’, which slightly resembles the nib of a fountain pen.

IBM scientists have developed an innovative technology called a microfluidic probe which can interact with tissue sections at the micrometre scale to help unravel some of the molecular variations within tumours.

Professor Dr Alex Soltermann, a pathologist specialising in lung cancer at the University Hospital Zurich, said: “We hope to introduce new technologies, such as the microfluidic probe, into the clinical molecular pathology diagnostic framework to enable a range of investigations which were previously thought to be infeasible. If we are successful, the tool will be a driver for personalised medicine and translate into increased confidence in diagnosis and better detection of predictive cancer markers.”

In its simplest form, the eight-millimetre-wide, diamond-shaped probe consists of a silicon microfluidic head ending with a small tip bearing two microchannels. The tool housing the microfluidic probe has recently been made significantly more compact and user-friendly, and today is roughly the size of a tissue box – it is now at stage where it may assist in studying the distribution of low numbers of cancer cells in biopsied samples.

The probe injects very small volumes of reagents onto the tissue surface and then continuously aspirates the reagents to prevent spreading and accumulation. This approach is used to deliver and retrieve reagents locally in selected areas of a tissue section with pinpoint accuracy. This local interaction with the sample helps in mapping the tissue’s heterogeneity.

This research is part-funded by the European Research Council.