Intel Corp. and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center on Thursday announced a joint research effort to apply Intel's expertise in technology to develop improved methods of studying, diagnosing and preventing cancer.

"To launch the effort, Intel is building an Intel Raman Bioanalyzer System at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle," said Andrew Berlin, lead researcher, Intel's Precision Biology program. "The instrument beams lasers onto tiny medical samples, such as blood serum, to create images that reveal the chemical structure of molecules. The goal is to determine if this technology, previously used to detect microscopic imperfections on silicon chips, can also detect subtle traces of disease."

Dr. Lee Hartwell, Nobel Laureate and president and director of the center, said: "This collaboration is a unique and exciting interaction. Biologists have never before had such a method for studying the molecular structure of biology. This is true discovery-based research; we don't know what we will see or learn. It may lead to a new era of molecular diagnostics and improved methods of early disease detection."

Intel said its Raman Bioanalyzer System is based on a technique known as Raman spectroscopy; Intel uses this technique to analyze subtle chemical compositions during the chip fabrication process. By shining a laser beam at an object, molecules within the substance are stimulated to give off a spectrum that can be detected by sensors in a Raman spectrometer. Because every substance has a unique chemical composition, every substance produces a unique Raman spectrum - the equivalent of a chemical barcode tag.

At the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, medical researchers hope the specially designed instrument will help them identify proteins in human blood serum that foretell the susceptibility, presence or prognosis of diseases such as cancer. At the same time, Intel will learn from them about potential applications and benefits of the technology, said Intel, the world ' s largest chip maker.

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