Smart lenses that diagnose cancer from tears

 Los Angeles: Scientists have developed smart lenses that can detect early-stage cancer by identifying chemicals in tears.

Development of this tool could lead to low-cost screening programs for the diagnosis of a wide range of diseases.

This technology captures transporters called exosomes. These tiny bubble-like messengers are found in the cells of our blood, saliva, urine, and tears, and are rich in proteins on their surface, some of which are affected by cancer, viral infection, or injury.

These exosomes can be effective in controlling tumors, inhibiting their growth and spread, which is promising for more specific and effective treatments.

Early treatment dramatically increases cancer survival rates, while the death rate increases by 10 percent every month without treatment.

Professor Ali Khadim Hosseini, the project leader of the American Institute for Biomedical Innovation, said that this lens can mark exosomes in the human body. These lenses can distinguish between these cells by the appearance of their protein levels.

Microchambers in this lens contain antibodies to which exosomes adhere.