Patch with a million nano-needles instead of a traditional biopsy

Scientists at King’s College London have unveiled their new invention: a patch with tens of millions of nano-needles that could replace traditional biopsies. The patch offers a painless and less invasive alternative for millions of patients worldwide who undergo biopsies every year to detect and monitor inflammatory, oncological, and infectious diseases.

The nano-needle patch painlessly collects molecular information from tissues without disrupting their integrity or causing damage. This could allow healthcare professionals to diagnose diseases in real time and perform multiple analyses of a single area, which is not possible with a standard biopsy. Since the nano-needles are 1,000 times thinner than a human hair, they cause no pain or damage, making the process more accessible to patients.

Dr. Siro Chiappini, who led the scientific development, noted: “We have been working on nano-needles for twelve years, but our latest development is the most interesting. It opens up a world of possibilities for people with brain cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and for the development of personalized medicine.” During preclinical studies, scientists applied the patch to brain cancer tumor tissue taken from biopsies of real patients and laboratory mice. The nanoneedles identified molecular markers of the disease — lipids, proteins, and mRNA — from the cells, without the need to remove tissue.

This information is then analyzed using mass spectrometry and artificial intelligence, providing clinicians with detailed information about the presence of the tumor, its response to treatment, and the progression of the disease at the cellular level. Dr. Chiappini noted, “This approach provides multidimensional molecular information from different cell types in a single tissue. Traditional biopsy simply cannot do this. And since the process does not destroy tissue, we can take a sample of the same tissue several times, which was previously impossible.”

Engineers are already predicting future applications for the technology: it could be used during brain surgery to help surgeons act more quickly and accurately. For example, if a patch is applied to a suspicious area, results could be obtained within 20 minutes, allowing real-time decisions to be made about removing cancerous tissue. In addition, nanoneedles can be integrated into common medical devices such as bandages, endoscopes, and contact lenses.

This breakthrough was made possible by close interdisciplinary collaboration between nanoengineering, clinical oncology, cell biology, and artificial intelligence. Each of these fields brings together important tools and perspectives that together have created a new approach to non-invasive diagnostics. The research was supported by the European Research Council and grants from other institutions that promote scientific research.