Prof. Dr. Mehmet Toner, a member of the Özyeğin University Board of Trustees and Director of the BioMicroElectroMechanical Systems Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University, announced that the microchip they developed can easily detect cancer cells.
Goal: To Turn Cancer into a Chronic Disease
Stating that if cancer patients are monitored, the disease can be turned into a chronic condition like AIDS, Toner said, "We do this with a liquid biopsy. A liquid biopsy because we examine the blood. We have opened a window to cancer, we have the opportunity to look. If you can find the cells that kill, you can track the cancer."
Cancer Cells Stay on the Chip
Toner explained how the chip works: "It detects cancer cells among 100 billion cells in the blood. Blood is transferred to the chip; inside the chip, there are microscopic structures of 10 microns — that is, one-tenth the thickness of a hair. As if in a washing machine, the blood enters the chip from one end, constantly rotating as it moves forward, and exits from the other end. There is a glue inside the chip, and only the cancer cells stick to that glue. The other cells exit and leave; out of 100 billion cells, the healthy ones leave, and 50-100 cancerous blood cells remain on it."
The Right Treatment for the Right Patient
With the microchip blood test, it will be possible to give the right drug to the right patient at the right time. Thus, the effectiveness of the treatment will increase. Thanks to the test, increases and decreases in the cancer cells in the patient's blood can be tracked, and treatment changes can be made when necessary. By detecting the genetic structure of cancer cells, it will also enable the development of new drugs.
Early Diagnosis in 8-10 Years
The most important goal is early diagnosis. Emphasizing that studies on early diagnosis are continuing, Toner said, "Early diagnosis topics are very sensitive and can be implemented in the longer term. It is a topic that requires studies with 10-20 thousand people. Early diagnosis can be possible at the earliest in 8-10 years." Noting that 9 out of 10 cancer patients die due to the spread of cancer, Prof. Dr. Toner said, "If the patient's disease is diagnosed early, 90% survive; if diagnosed late, 10% survive. Pancreatic and lung cancers are the most difficult diseases. We find out after the cancer has grown. If we diagnose early, the result is magnificent."
Microchip Ready in 2 Years
Explaining that research continues on lung, prostate, and breast cancers, Prof. Dr. Toner said that a period of 2 years is needed for the microchip research to be completed and turned into a product that can be used worldwide.
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Toner
Professor Mehmet Toner was born in Istanbul in 1958. After graduating from Istanbul Technical University's Mechanical Engineering department, he completed his doctorate at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), one of the respected universities in the USA. Today, Toner, who teaches doctoral students at Harvard and MIT universities, has numerous books and articles in the fields of cryobiology and biomedical engineering.
