A new device is designed to detect certain proteins in menstrual blood to detect early signs of disease. (Image credit: Science Photo Library via Getty Images)
Researchers have unveiled a novel device that can be integrated into menstrual pads and could be useful in the future for screening diseases such as ovarian cancer.
The lightweight device looks for disease biomarkers — in this case, levels of certain proteins — in menstrual blood. It includes a test strip that changes color when it comes into contact with target biomarkers.
“We think this tool could potentially be useful for women at high risk of cancer,” said Inge Herrmann, a professor and head of the Nanoparticle Systems Engineering Lab at ETH Zurich. She told Live Science that she hopes the technology could “provide users with an additional monitoring tool” that is affordable.
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Herrmann and her team published a study about the device in May in the journal Advanced Science. So far, it has been tested on blood samples from healthy volunteers, so more research is needed before it can be used for screening.
How the device works
The device, about one square inch (2 by 2 centimeters) in size and encased in soft silicone, is placed at the bottom of a menstrual pad. The silicone contains a test strip that changes color when certain proteins are present. If a biomarker is present, either a line or circle appears within about 15 minutes; the more intense the color, the higher the protein level.
The researchers say the results can be interpreted visually, but they have also developed an app that uses machine learning to interpret the test result. The pad with the device built in can be worn for as long as a regular menstrual pad, and the device itself “you won’t feel it,” Herrmann said.
The researchers made their initial prototype sensitive to three biomarkers: C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation; carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a “tumor maker” associated with various forms of cancer; and cancer antigen-125 (CA-125), which is strongly associated with ovarian cancer.
Blood tests exist for all three of these biomarkers: CRP tests monitor inflammation in the body. CEA tests are used to assess the stage of cancer or the effectiveness of treatment, but are not intended for screening. CA-125 tests can be used to screen for ovarian cancer in people at high risk, but not for those at average risk, as elevated levels can be caused by other conditions, including endometriosis.
One advantage of the new device is that it is easier for patients to use and less invasive than existing blood tests, said Dr. Paul Blumenthal, a professor emeritus of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University. Blumenthal was not involved in the new study but has conducted similar research into the clinical potential of menstrual blood.
To test the device, the researchers conducted trials with venous and menstrual blood collected from volunteers to see if it detected similar levels of biomarkers in both blood types. This included tests in which the scientists spiked blood samples with target biomes.
Sourse: www.livescience.com
