Researchers have created a saliva test that identifies breast cancer and has demonstrated encouraging outcomes in preliminary trials.

Researchers from the University of Florida and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan have developed a new portable device that can identify breast cancer markers from a small amount of saliva. Their results were published in the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B.

"Imagine medical staff conducting breast cancer screening in communities or hospitals," Hsiao-Hsuan Wan, a doctoral student in the Department of Chemical Engineering at UF and the primary author of the study, stated. "Our device is an excellent choice because it is portable -- about the size of your hand -- and reusable. The testing time is under five seconds per sample, which makes it highly efficient."

The new device functions by using a saliva sample on a testing strip, which is then exposed to specific antibodies that respond to cancer biomarkers.

The biosensor device receives electrical signals at its contact points, which are then converted into digital data to indicate the level of biomarkers present. According to Wan, the results are easily and rapidly understandable.

In a trial, the device was able to differentiate between normal breast tissue, early-stage breast cancer, and advanced breast cancer in a limited sample of 21 women. The biosensor design utilizes widely available components such as glucose testing strips and the open-source hardware-software platform Arduino.