Michigan State University just released news today of an electronic device called the Gene-Z, that can be used in conjunction with an iPod touch or an Android tablet to quickly and affordably detect cancer. Syed Hashsham, a professor at MSU, demonstrated his device at the first Cancer Detection and Diagnostics Conference, hosted by the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Such a device could be cheaply deployed in many developing countries which currently have few, if any, cancer screening services. The Gene-Z is currently programmed to detect specific cancer markers. It is solar-powered and uses rechargeable batteries, which makes the device extremely useful in areas where access to electrical outlets is limited.
Reza Nassiri, director of MSU’s Institute of International Health, said, “…a concentrated effort should be made to develop more appropriate and cost-effective technologies such as the one developed by Hashsham for widespread global use.” Devices like the Gene-Z would enable more cancer screenings in countries where such testing is currently cost-prohibitive. Nassiri says furthermore, ”Early cancer detection in these countries may lead to affordable management of cancers with the aid of new screening and diagnostic technologies that can overcome global health care disparities.” However, the Gene-Z is not limited to cancer screening. It can also, “…diagnose routine tuberculosis and drug-resistant TB, determine HIV virus levels during treatment and monitor overall antibiotic resistance,” according to the MSU press release.
(click for larger view of Gene-Z project poster)
As mobile computing devices keep getting smaller and more powerful, we will see more of this type of invention that leverages the mobility, lower-prices, convenience, and general availability of smartphones and tablets to accomplish computing tasks that were once relegated to immobile, expensive, complex, and very specialized electronic equipment.
