Nano sensor detects toxins in cells

US scientists have developed a sensor that can detect small amounts of cancer-causing toxins or trace the effectiveness of cancer drugs inside living cells.

The finding, reported on Sunday in Nature Nanotechnology, offers a new tool for tracking specific chemicals in the body.

"We made a very small nanosensor that can detect cancer-causing molecules or important therapeutic drugs inside a single living cell," said Michael Strano of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who worked on the study. "It's so small it can be placed into environments that aren't accessible with larger sensors."