Scientists from India, Malaysia, Iraq, Pakistan, and Brazil (from the Polytechnic School at the University of São Paulo) have tested a nanometric device that uses microwave images to detect tumor-related changes in extracellular vesicles known as exosomes. The device consists of several silver and nickel resonators (capable of amplifying electromagnetic waves) on a silicon dioxide base. Operating in the 0.1–50 terahertz (THz) range, it achieved an absorption efficiency of 97.5% when detecting exosomes with molecules altered by cancer. Vesicles are already used to assess tumor progress using antibodies or dyes, but nanometric sensors allow for faster and more accurate identification. Shaped like a parallelepiped with a thickness of just 30 nanometers (nm) and sides measuring 100 nm each, its small size means it could be integrated into portable diagnostic devices (IEEE Photonics Journal, May 20).
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