A portable and rapid prostate cancer screening kit developed by Cornell University researchers could provide early warning to populations with higher incidence of prostate cancer and limited healthcare access, the university said Jan. 4.
The inexpensive test, which was first described Nov. 12, 2021, in Current Research in Biotechnology, uses a test strip and a small, cube-shaped reader to quantify a prostate-specific antigen, a marker of prostate cancer, from a drop of blood in minutes.
"We’ll be able to take a drop of blood in a community setting, such as a barbershop, and be able to deliver results in 10 to 15 minutes right there, which can indicate when somebody needs to come in for further tests," said Dr. Saurabh Mehta, a professor in the division of nutritional sciences and the paper’s senior author.
"It’s creating that first point of contact that hopefully builds rapport and brings healthcare services to the people at the point of need," Dr. Mehta added.