In a breakthrough that could reshape the future of cancer care, Nanocrine—a Maryland-based biotech startup—has unveiled its RT-Chip technology, a next-generation biosensor platform that enables real time observation of tumor activity at the cellular level.

"We have overcome a major obstacle in cancer treatment: the inability to monitor how tumor cells interact and respond to therapies in real time," said Nanocrine President/Chief Science Officer Patrick Calhoun, Ph.D. "Compatible with standard lab microscopes, the RT-chip's ability to capture a tumor's biologic signature means that therapies can be tailored with unprecedented precision."

Nancorine's biochip—initially developed by scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory--was advanced by collaborations with scientists at the National Institutes of Health and the Frederick Innovative Tech Center (FITCI)--a leading biotech incubator. Nanocrine's findings will be published at the American Society for Cell Biology annual conference Dec. 6th in Philadelphia.

"This breakthrough is poised to transform the way cancer—and other major diseases—are diagnosed, managed and treated," said Kathie Callahan Brady, FITCI's President/CEO and Nanocrine advisor.

Dr. Calhoun said the imaging platform will enable researchers and clinicians to:

Diagnose cancer more quickly and accurately by uncovering the tumors spread at the molecular level

Map drug responses in real time on a cellular level that traditional assays miss

Track how immune cells and engineered therapies interact with cancer cells to improve personalized immunotherapy treatments

Identify new biomarkers linked to metastasis and immune resistance, paving the way for more effective, targeted treatments

Dr. Calhoun also announced the launch of Nanocrine's Tumor Profiler services to enable researchers to assess differences in therapeutic responses at the cellular level.