Researchers have created a DNA construct that contorts in response to tiny changes in pH, bringing together molecules that give off a light signal. The technology could be used to detect cancer and perhaps one day, to treat it. (Credit: Marco Tripodi)
Researchers have created a DNA-based sensor capable of lighting up when it gets near cancer cells.
The nano-sized construct alters its shape in response to tiny changes in pH; these contortions bring together two molecules which react to give off a light signal.
Because cancer cells are often at a slightly different pH than non-cancerous ones, these tunable constructs could be used to detect tumours. The same principle could also be used to construct other complexes that release drugs only when near cancer cells.
Original research paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on April 9, 2014.
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