The invention is the result of the collaboration between the researchers from Europe, including the physicists from the Jagiellonian University and AGH University of Science and Technology. PYTHIA device can diagnose cancer and genetic disorders on the spot.

PYTHIA, named after the priestess at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, is a portable detector of diseases capable of diagnosing given heath disorders within 15 minutes. The device needs only tiny amount of genetic material (e.g. blood drop) to generate information about the patient's health. The appliance's first tests have ended with success. PYTHIA has detected prostate cancer. Attempts to detect other diseases are currently underway.

The device's ability to make immediate diagnosis will be particularly important in the case of cancer, which usually shows no symptoms for quite a long time. By increasing the chances of early diagnosis and therefore successful treatment, the invention may save people's lives in the future.

At the device's "heart" there is a set of ten interferometers which measure light beams streamed in special channels (waveguides) covered with a thin film of biomolecules. The molecules are responsible for detecting the problem. They bind to pathological structures, including antigens or parts of mutated DNA whose presence may suggest the potential health disorder.

Hopefully,  PYTHIA's production will not pose a serious financial challenge as it will be based on the standard silicone technology. However, "it remains to be seen whether this helpful appliance will be widely used in local medical centres," comments prof. Andrzej Budkowski, the leader of the Polish team.