Nano Diamonds Can Help Detect Cancers Early On MRI Scans

In their quest to detect early cancers, researchers in Australia have shown how diamonds could get the job done.

Researchers from University of Sydney have used nano diamonds to spot tumors on MRI images before they become life threatening. The diamonds act as markers, not unlike dyes, used for detecting abnormalities. Researchers exploited the magnetic characteristics of these synthetic diamonds to make them visible on MRIs, according to Medical News Today.

"We knew nano diamonds were of interest for delivering drugs during chemotherapy because they are largely non-toxic and non-reactive. We thought we could build on these non-toxic properties realizing that diamonds have magnetic characteristics enabling them to act as beacons in MRIs. We effectively turned a pharmaceutical problem into a physics problem," lead researcher David Reilly said.

The researchers aligned atoms in the diamonds in a way that they become detectable in the scans. Following the process, called hyper-polarization, the diamonds were made to piggyback on molecules targeting cancers.

"By attaching hyper-polarized diamonds to molecules targeting cancers the technique can allow tracking of the molecules' movement in the body," Ewa Rej, the paper's lead author, said.

The success of their lab studies has not prompted the researchers to test their technique in animals.