Malignant cells that leave a primary tumor, travel the bloodstream and grow out of control in new locations cause the vast majority of cancer deaths. New nanotechnology developed at Case Western Reserve University detects these metastases in mouse models of breast cancer far earlier than current methods, a step toward earlier, life-saving diagnosis and treatment. A team of scientists, engineers and students across five disciplines built nanochains that home in on metastases before they’ve grown into new tissues, and, through magnetic resonance imaging, detect their locations.
