NANOSTRUCTURED silicon field-effect transistors are at the centre of an ultrasensitive cancer sensing technology developed by a collaborative team from UniSA and researchers from Germany.
The collaborative project between UniSA and the Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH in Germany has yielded a new intraoperative biosensing platform based on silicon nanowire field-effect transistors (SiNW FET), that is designed to be used during surgery.
The instrument provides superior detection of cancer cells hidden among healthy tissues, allowing their complete removal during a single surgery, reducing the need for future surgeries. This is particularly useful for detecting the spread of cancer through the lymphatic system, which is one of the more difficult and critical areas of cancer diagnosis.
The researchers say the accuracy and sensitivity of the silicon transistors is more advanced than anything being used today.
The technology was able to detect even one tumour cell per lymph node, making it a thousand times more sensitive than the most advanced technology used in clinics today.
Unlike traditional lymph tests for cancer spread, the entire analysis can be completed within an hour, and with a more streamlined protocol, it is possible to cut the time to 30 minutes while still providing the required sensitivity.
The research has the potential to revolutionise surgical treatments for breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and gastrointestinal cancer, all of which develop secondary cancers via the spread of tumour cells to the regional lymph nodes.