Vaginal Ring Aptamer Biosensor for Continuous Tumor Marker Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for monitoring tumor markers in patients are inefficient due to long waiting times between tests, leading to high anxiety and high costs for frequent sampling, and the vagina is underutilized as a site for sampling these markers.
Innovation Solution
A vaginal ring device equipped with an electrochemical aptamer-based biosensor is used to continuously monitor tumor markers in vaginal wall fluid, allowing for early detection of recurrence by detecting specific tumor markers through changes in electrochemical signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tumor markers are monitored by frequent serum sampling, then detection reliability is improved, but loss of time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vaginal ring device enables continuous monitoring of tumor markers through daily detection in vaginal wall fluid, eliminating the discrete intermittent sampling of traditional serum tests. The device remains in place and continuously samples local fluid, providing uninterrupted surveillance of tumor marker levels without requiring repeated patient visits or waiting periods between tests.
2Reliability
If tumor markers are monitored by frequent serum sampling, then detection reliability is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vaginal ring device is self-contained and autonomous, requiring no external laboratory infrastructure or clinical staff intervention for sampling. The device automatically collects vaginal wall fluid and performs tumor marker detection locally, eliminating the need for repeated hospital visits, phlebotomy procedures, and centralized laboratory processing that incur significant costs with frequent serum sampling.
3Ease of operation
If the vagina is used as a sampling site, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses vaginal wall fluid as an intermediary medium that contains tumor markers shed from tumors into the local environment. Rather than directly measuring serum markers that require invasive blood drawing, the device detects markers in the local vaginal fluid that serves as a surrogate, providing equivalent diagnostic information through a non-invasive route.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables continuous, cost-effective, and anxiety-reducing monitoring of tumor markers, facilitating early detection of recurrence by utilizing the vaginal wall fluid for sampling, thereby reducing the need for frequent clinical visits.
Implementation Method 1
electrochemical aptamer-based biosensor is used to continuously monitor tumor markers in vaginal wall fluid, allowing for early detection of recurrence by detecting specific tumor markers through changes in electrochemical signals
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for determining the presence of a circulating tumor marker in the human body, comprising detecting the tumor marker in the vagina, wherein the tumor marker originates from a part of the body that is not the vagina. In a preferred embodiment, the tumor marker is detected by means of an aptamer. Even more preferably, the aptamer is present in a vaginal ring device. The vaginal ring device suitably comprises a diagnostic device for performing an intravaginal diagnosis or measurement therefor. The method can for example be used in the continuous monitoring of circulating tumor markers in oncologic patients or in the pretreatment and posttreatment follow-up of oncologic patients. The invention further relates to a vaginal diagnostic ring device for performing the method.