Cancer and heart disease diagnosis usually requires trained personnel along with some expensive instruments to do so. One MIT research group wants to make it cheaper and easier with a single injection and a paper based detection system.

Sangee Bhatia's team developed a molecular detection system using existing technologies. If approved it will work like this: You get an injection of a nanoparticle solution. It bonds with antibodies generated by cancer or heart disease. After that you pee on a test paper and if a nanoparticle that's bonded with some antibodies comes out, it'll the paper and change colors.

Bhatia's animal studies have successfully detected colon tumors and blood clotting. Hopefully this will extend to humans as well. She hopes that it will help diagnose cancer in the third world where equipment and professionals are scarce. Or even a home test. That would be great.  [PNAS via MedicalXpress]