Portable device uses AI to keep track of chemotherapy

Using artificial intelligence and biosensors the device is up to 95.9 per cent accurate in counting live cancer cells when they pass through electrodes, according to a study in Microsystems & Nanoengineering.

"We built a portable platform that can predict whether patients will respond positively to targeted cancer therapy," said senior author Mehdi Javanmard, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the School of Engineering at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. "Our technology combines artificial intelligence and sophisticated biosensors that handle tiny amounts of fluids to see if cancer cells are sensitive or resistant to chemotherapy drugs."

According to Rutgers, the device provides immediate results and will allow for more personalised interventions for patients as well as better management and detection of the disease. It can rapidly analyse cells without having to stain them, allowing for further molecular analysis and instantaneous results. Current devices rely on staining, limiting the characterisation of cells.

"We envision using this new device as a point-of-care diagnostic tool for assessing patient response and personalisation of therapeutics," the study says.