Prostate Cancer Results

The rapid results are possible because of a novel microfluidics technology developed by startup Claros Diagnostics, which hopes to make quick PSA monitoring in the doctor's office a reality. If approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the device will be one of the first examples of long-awaited microfluidics-based diagnostics tests that can be performed in the hospital or doctor's office. While microfluidics--which allows for the manipulation of fluids on a chip at microscopic scales--has been around for a decade, the complexity and expense has kept it largely limited to research applications.

Claros's technology, which consists of a small blood-collector device, a disposable cartridge, and a toaster-sized reader, could, in theory at least, be adapted to detect any number of different proteins. But the company has initially chosen to focus on PSA, which is routinely monitored. With current testing, blood samples are typically sent to a centralized lab for PSA analysis. Results are returned in a day or two. Claros's test, now in clinical trials, would allow PSA readings to be determined during the patient's visit. While there is debate over how useful PSA testing is in diagnosing cancer, it is a well-accepted tool for monitoring those who have it. Within a month after prostate surgery, a man's PSA levels drops--a subsequent increase suggests that PSA producing cancer cells have returned.