Researchers in Australia have developed a simple blood test they claim can diagnose cancer in 10 minutes by identifying a unique DNA signature present in all types of the disease.
While the test has yet to be studied in clinical trials on humans, researchers at the University of Queensland found that cancer DNA forms a unique structure when placed in water. The structure is the same in DNA from samples of breast, prostate and bowel cancers, as well as lymphoma.
Their research has been published in the peer-reviewed journal, Nature Communications, and opens the possibility of a non-invasive alternative to tissue biopsy.
An article about the new test from Science Alert can be accessed here.
