Brazil has become the second country in the world to evaluate a device that detects cancer in real-time during surgery. The MasSpec Pen system was developed by a research team that included Brazilian scientist Livia Eberlin, PhD, professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, in partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific.

The device is currently being assessed under a research protocol at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in São Paulo, Brazil.

Results from the US, where the technology is also under evaluation, showed an accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity above 96% in identifying breast, lung, thyroid, and ovarian tumors, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine.

How the Device Works

When the Pen is in contact with the tissue, it releases a drop of water that absorbs cells from the site and maps their molecular signature through mass spectrometry, a technology that uses ionization to detect the molecular characteristics of each sample.

Source: MEDspace