In 2016, the National Cancer Institute estimates that there will over 1.6 million news cases of cancer diagnosed in the United States. Over 500,000 will die from the disease.
While many work for a cure for cancer, there is something else that can save lives: early detection.
In a TEDTalks video posted Tuesday, physician and bioengineer Sangeeta Bhatia describes her new screening test that can find tumors before they become dangerous.
She set out to find a small detector that can be injected to circulate the body.
When nanoparticles are injected into a blood vessel, certain ones leak out into a tumor, dependent on size.
For example, as seen in the below image, the smaller blue nanoparticles leak out, while the red nanoparticles remain in the bloodstream.
Bhatia's lab made a sensitive nano-detecter that travels and looks for cancerous cells.
The nanoparticles that leaked into the tumor release a signal that will then filter out of the kidney into urine.
Her goal, with this technology, is to replace expensive screening facilities with a shot and urine test.
It already works on mice for the detection of lung, colon and ovarian cancer.
Watch the full video below: