Detecting Breast Cancer Using a Fingerprint

New research suggests that a single fingerprint might be able to help detect breast cancer.

Transcript

00:00 One of the best ways to prevent cancer is regular screening.

00:04 But some detection methods can be complex or invasive.

00:08 For example, testing for the most common type of cancer, breast cancer, involves mammograms or biopsy.

00:15 But new research indicates that it may be possible to detect the disease with a single fingerprint.

00:21 The key? Indicators found in test subject's sweat.

00:25 Sweat contains a lot of different molecules, but what we're interested in is proteins.

00:30 What we do in effect is detecting those proteins and the different levels of expression of those proteins,

00:37 the different patterns of expression, tell us whether a patient has a benign pathology or has early cancer.

00:44 Dr. Francesa specializes in forensic science and has been using fingerprints to help with criminal investigations.

00:51 But her research has shown that these methods can also be used to detect breast cancer.

00:57 All that's required is a fingerprint and a bit of help from AI.

01:01 We use artificial intelligence to make sense of those mass spectrometry data.

01:06 Though the research is promising, Francesa still encourages women to opt for traditional mammograms and biopsies,

01:12 currently the most reliable options.

01:15 But she's hopeful that breast cancer detection could one day be just a finger swipe away.

01:20 John Su and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.

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