How does this work? For the most part it seems to work similarly to how people are screened right now for things like cancer or HIV, which is to go fishing in the person’s immune system for antibodies that are produced when it detects diseases using molecules that have flags attached to them.
However in this case, what happens is that those flags are replaced with strands of DNA. Through the use of DNA isolation techniques, it is said to be more sensitive than the current techniques that are employed, which in turn could alert doctors to any potential illnesses that the patient might be suffering from.
The researchers have tested their technique against the FDA-approved variants for thyroid cancer, and found that it is at least 800 times more sensitive. The researchers have already begun conducting clinical trials and over in the Alameda County Public Health Laboratory, their technique is currently being tested as a HIV screening tool.