Simone Schürle elected a Global Future Council fellow, publishes paper on fighting tumors with nanosensors

13.10.2016 16:58

MIT news featured work by Branco Weiss fellow Simone Schürle and colleagues in last weeks’ spotlight. Their paper, entitled “Magnetically Actuated Protease Sensors for in Vivo Tumor Profiling” was published in the nanotechonolgy journal Nano Letters. MIT News reports on the work saying it describes how the researchers have designed nanosensors that can profile tumors and may yield insight into how they will respond to certain therapies and thus, inform clinicians in therapeutic decision.

The system is based on the detection of certain enzymes called proteases, which cancer cells use to remodel their surroundings, says MIT News. After accumulation at the tumor site, the nanosensors are activated by a magnetic field that is harmless to the body. After interacting with and being modified by the target tumor proteins, the sensors are secreted in the urine, where they can be easily detected within an hour after activation. Once adapted for humans, this type of sensor could be used to determine how aggressive a tumor is and help doctors to choose the right treatment, describes the news article.

Also, Simone Schürle has been elected by the World Economic Forum as a Fellow 2016-17 for the Council on the Future of Human Enhancement, one of 35 Global Future Councils. The WEF’s Network of Global Future Councils is an interdisciplinary knowledge network dedicated to promoting innovative thinking on the future. The network convenes the most relevant and knowledgeable thought leaders from academia, government, business and civil society to challenge conventional thinking and develop new insights and perspectives on the key global systems, as well as the impact and governance of key emerging technologies. Members of the network meet annually in the United Arab Emirates, and virtually several times a year to monitor trends, identify global risks, discuss ideas and explore interconnections between issues.

Read the paper in Nano Letters

Read the article on MIT News