Scientists have worked out a way of programming nanosensors so that they can spot a cancer cell from a blood sample.
Apparently the sensors snuffle through the blood sample looking for biomarkers for prostate and breast cancers. Study co-author Mark Reed, associate director of the Yale Institute for Nanoscience and Quantum Engineering said the technology could be applied to many other types of cancers.
![](https://images.assettype.com/tgdaily/2016-09/5d411533-2656-4e29-8229-5c50286d6328/cells.jpg)
The idea is that eventually it will mean that doctors can perform a quick, easy and low-cost test from their office and spot cancer before it becomes a problem.
It will also solve a problem that the medical world has in detecting biomarkers for lung, pancreatic and ovarian cancer. The nanotechnology is able to work at the sub-cellular level to find cancer biomarkers.
Currently not too many cancer biomarkers have been identified but the Human Genome Project is hoping to find more. Once the researchers have a list, they will be able to give the nanorobots more biomarkers to look for.