‘Really terrified’: how a blood test could spare cancer patients an agonising wait
In the second of a four-part Health Matters wellness series on frontier medicine in Hong Kong, Fiona Sun looks into how a new PCR system can detect cancer, infections and birth defects within hours, and what it will take to bring such laboratory breakthroughs to patients. Part one can be found here. It began with a pimple-like lump on Audrey Kwan’s neck. Within a month, it had swollen to the size…
A new blood test being developed in Hong Kong could potentially spare cancer patients the anxiety of waiting for days for biopsy results, with the test able to provide results within three to four hours. The Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre at Hong Kong's Science Park is conducting clinical trials of its fourth-generation polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system, which can detect cancer, infectious diseases, and birth defects.
The technology, led by the University of Hong Kong in partnership with Harvard University, combines molecular bar coding with droplet microfluidics to simultaneously test for millions of targets in a single test, offering a faster and more affordable alternative to existing diagnostic tools. The test's heightened sensitivity is crucial for early detection of diseases like cancer, potentially allowing for more timely treatment decisions and improving patient outcomes.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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