Cancer-Fighting Spin Doctors

Miniature gyroscopes are often found in missile guidance systems, but they are now being used to attack a very different type of target, by diagnosing cancer and other diseases. The micro-gyroscopes consist of a chip with a vibrating disc the size of a sand grain which is highly sensitive to acceleration, allowing it to detect motion. Now the technology is being used to weigh proteins and identify those produced by cancer cells. What’s more, the detector will be much faster than conventional biosensors