A new nanoparticle-based tool could provide a faster, easier way to identify infections

A startup based in Cambridge, MA, is commercializing a new kind of rapid diagnostic technology that relies on **magnetic nanoparticles** and a technique similar to **magnetic resonance imaging** (MRI). The nanoparticles can be designed to signal the presence of specific **viruses and bacteria**, particular strands of **DNA** and proteins including those found on cancer cells, and other molecules such as glucose. The technique can use blood, spit, or any other samples with no preparation. The researchers hope the tool will help doctors identify treatments faster and allow for better monitoring of **cancer treatments**. The company, T2 Biosystems, expects to begin marketing diagnostics for infectious diseases in two years, and it's developing implantable sensors and handheld readers for monitoring diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Prominent researchers from MIT, Harvard, and Massachusetts General Hospital founded the company. Tyler Jacks, director of the MIT Center for Cancer Research and a cofounder of T2, says that the company is developing "more rapid, accurate, portable, and cheaper diagnostics." "For more information":[ http://www.technologyreview.com/Biztech/19343/]

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