An early disease diagnosis offers a unique opportunity to reduce the burden of cancer. Procedures, which are capable of detecting emerging tumors before the patient experiences physical symptoms and before the occurrence of metastasis would have a potential to significantly improve patient survival rates and allow for earlier implementation of an appropriate treatment.



Nanotechnology is in unique position to transform cancer diagnostics and to produce new generation of biosensors and medical imaging techniques with higher sensitivity and precision of recognition. Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary approach to manufacturing devices and components that range in size from 1 - 100 nm in at least one dimension.



Highly specific and sensitive sensors based on several nanotechnologies: carbon nanotubes, nanowires, nanomagnets, and nanofluidics capable of recognizing nucleic acids and proteins at ultra-low concentrations in a multiplex manner would produce early recognition assays for very low levels of biomarkers. Similarly, novel imaging agents can be developed based on several nanoparticle families. For example, magnetic particles, quantum dots, liposomes, or dendrimers loaded with the contrast agent can be used in imaging and provide for greater stability and longer circulation half-life, stronger binding to target epitopes, and higher contrast as compared to existing solutions.



In this session, we will discuss cutting edge nanotechnology solutions to cancer diagnostics developed by the researchers of NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer program.


NCI/NIH-Sponsored Sessions: Cancer Diagnostics Using Nanotechnology Platforms

Anna D. Barker. National Cancer Inst., Bethesda, MD

Piotr Grodzinski. National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD

Michael J. Cima. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Joseph M. DeSimone. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

James R. Heath. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA

Chad A. Mirkin. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Ralph Weissleder. Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA,