A new mobile device that allows bladder and kidney cancer to be detected at an early stage is being developed by Prof Wilfred van der Wiel, professor of nanoelectronics at the University of Twente MESA+ Research Institute in The Netherlands. Prof Van der Wiel recently received a European Research Council (ERC) ‘Proof of Concept’ grant for his idea, which will enable him to translate this basic research into a commercial application. The research is being performed in a wide consortium of research groups at the University of Twente MESA+ Research Institute (BIOS, IMS, NE departments), directed towards the development of nanosensors for the early detection of cancer.

He calls his idea the ‘NanoGap sensor’ – a gap of about 100 nanometres wide in an electrode with receptors that raise an alarm in the case of degraded DNA – and his focus is specifically on DNA in urine, from which it is possible to ‘read’ whether there is any indication of early-stage bladder, kidney and, in women, cervical cancer.

“In many cancers excessive methylation of the DNA occurs; this is referred to as hypermethylation. Although medical science does not yet know whether hypermethylation always signifies cancer and in what form, a clear link has been shown,” says Prof Van der Wiel. In Van der Wiel’s NanoGap Sensor, the hypermethylated DNA is bound to receptors on both sides of the gap. By covering the DNA with metal particles, a live wire on a nanoscale is created that results in a short circuit and a detectable signal.