Diamonds capable of detecting cancers on HWN INSIGHTS

Researchers have discovered that a nanoscale, synthetic version of diamonds can light up early-stage cancers in non-toxic, non-invasive Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans.

Lead Author of the Study Professor David Reilly from the School of Physics, University of Sydney said “We knew nano diamonds were of interest for delivering drugs during chemotherapy because they are largely non-toxic and non-reactive.

We thought we could build on these non-toxic properties realising that diamonds have magnetic characteristics enabling them to act as beacons in MRIs. We effectively turned a pharmaceutical problem into a physics problem.

By attaching hyperpolarised diamonds to molecules targeting cancers the technique can allow tracking of the molecules’ movement in the body,” says Ewa Rej, the paper’s lead author.

This is a great example of how quantum physics research tackles real-world problems, in this case opening the way for us to image and target cancers long before they become life-threatening.

The researchers are set to test the use of the new technology on animals.