A new device developed at Ryerson University detects a tumor in the brain and locates it. It is an ultra-sensitive biosensor for detecting substances that secrete dying brain cancer cells. The study is published in the journal ACS Nano. The ultra-sensitive biosensor detects trace amounts of nucleic acids, proteins and lipids that are secreted by dying cancer cells. Only five microliters of blood, that is, less than a drop, is needed for analysis. The neural network analyzes the composition of the blood and determines the type and presence of the tumor. The device consists of nanolayers of nickel oxide and nickel on a nickel chip. In tests, scientists were able to distinguish brain cancer from breast cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancer with 100% specificity and sensitivity. They were also able to distinguish between primary brain tumors and metastases that had spread from the lungs or breast. The accuracy in identifying the location where the tumor originated was up to 96%.