Doctors may be able to quickly and inexpensively isolate cancer cells to better target the disease with a new device patented by five CU-Boulder seniors and Wilbur Franklin, a CU Cancer Center researcher. The handheld device with a grip the size of an electric toothbrush allows the user to precisely extract cancerous cells from a microscope slide with a pump and expel them into a test tube with the click of a button.
鈥淓xisting techniques are either technical and expensive or low-tech like using a manual pipette to transfer cells,鈥� Franklin says. 鈥淭his device could make it possible for even small hospitals and labs to isolate patients鈥� cells for the genetic testing needed to prescribe the best treatments.鈥�
The partnership between the students and the cancer center is part of the mechanical engineering department鈥檚 senior design class. Firms and independent inventors collaborate with five-person student teams to bring vision to design challenges. Only a handful of the projects lead to patents yearly.
For more information, visit colorado.edu and search 鈥�.鈥�
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