This painless nanoneedle patch might one day replace certain biopsies

A patch containing tens of millions of nanoneedles can read what’s happening in our cells on the fly, potentially eliminating the need for time-consuming biopsies. The patch might also facilitate disease diagnosis and monitoring.

The 8-by-8-millimeter patch collects molecular information painlessly and without damaging tissue, providing results in a matter of minutes, researchers report June 16 in Nature Nanotechnology. Traditionally, diseases like cancer and autoimmune…