The iknife a Smart Scalpel That Can Detect Tumors Almost Instantly

iKnife a smart scalpel Developed by Imperial College London, is a device that can diagnose cancer in seconds.
The smart device has already proved effective for breast, colon, and cervical cancers, but doctors at several UK hospitals have used it for the first time on endometrial cancer tissue the most common cancer of women’s reproductive system.

iKnife Credit: Sadaf Ghaem-Maghami Et Al.

The iKnife basically looks like an electric scalpel but is enhanced with an AI (artificial intelligence). When the iKnife is placed over a tissue sample, it heats it and analyses the fumes released. In fact, these fumes are analyzed in near real-time using a mass spectrometer. The device looks for signs of altered lipid metabolism, a common feature of cancer cells. They need more lipids for their metabolism and to synthesize certain plasma membrane components in order to proliferate.

More than 150 endometrial biopsies, taken with consent from female patients who came to the clinic with the suspicion of having endometrial cancer, were analyzed using the iKnife. As a result, the device was able to diagnose the presence of cancer cells with 89% sensitivity almost immediately. In contrast, the standard method, in which a pathologist analyses a thin piece of tissue under a microscope, takes between one and two weeks for final results.

iKnife is developing rapidly and it is conceivable that in the near future, the technology will be even more effective in diagnosing cancer, and this study is the first to test it. The algorithm that interprets the results will be refined with each sample that is analyzed. The only downside though is that the iKnife is forced to heat and thus destroy tissue in order to function. This prevents any further analysis of the samples used.

Meanwhile, doctors see it as a diagnostic tool that complements existing methods. It will allow patients to quickly get a first opinion on whether they have cancer or not before the diagnosis is confirmed a little later. Women with a positive result could be treated without delay and those with a negative result would avoid several days of anxious waiting.