In another area of molecular diagnostics, our group is interested in the early diagnosis of cancer. Utilizing iron oxide nanoparticles, we were able to assess the levels and enzymatic activity of telomerase, a key oncogene that is upregulated in most tumors leading to their immortalization due to aberrant continuous maintenance of the chromosomal telomeric repeats. Currently, we develop magnetic nanosensors that can detect and quantify multiple tumor biomarkers in blood, utilizing magnetic relaxation methods.
