It may be possible to remove rare tumour cells circulating in the blood, according to new research at the University of illinois at Chicago.
The researchers found that biomolecules bound to dendrimers, highly branched synthetic polymers, could efficiently sift and capture the diseased cells.
Dendrimers have been used to encapsulate drug molecules and serve as a delivery vehicle, but in the new study they were used to capture circulating tumour cells.
The study was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
Read more at University of Illinois at Chicago