five years of development with co-inventor Dr. Eugeniu Balaur, a La Trobe University specialist in advanced molecular imaging. Abbey compared the groundbreaking innovation to the transition from black and white to color television.
Abbey said, “Recent breakthroughs in nanotechnology have allowed us to manipulate the interaction of light with biological tissue so that abnormal cells appear to have a different colour to healthy ones.” Abbey stated that existing techniques of cell identification frequently result in misdiagnosis and frequently impair pathologists’ ability to detect cancer early, which is critical for effective therapy. Abbey said, “It’s like finding a needle in a haystack with so few cancer cells”.
According to Associate Professor Belinda Parker from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, the facility will soon start testing the technology to help early detection of breast cancer. Parker said, “When I first looked at a tissue under the microscope on the NanoMslide, I was incredibly excited”. He said, “For the first time I saw cancer cells just popping up at me. They were a different colour from the surrounding tissue, and it was very easy to distinguish them from surrounding cells.”
Parker was optimistic that the innovative technique will have a wide range of applications in the detection of all forms of cancer. He said, “Based on our preliminary findings with the NanoMslide, we think this platform could be really useful in early breast cancer diagnosis, but also in other cancers where we’re really just trying to pick up a few cancer cells in a complex tissue or a blood sample.”
According to Prof. John Dewar, Vice-Chancellor of La Trobe University, the breakthrough research demonstrates the critical role played by the universities in innovation and the importance of increased industrial engagement. He said, “As this remarkable invention translates from a brilliant concept into what could be a life-saving solution, La Trobe has demonstrated what can be achieved when exceptional research innovation comes together with strong industry partners.”
