article_snippet.sent: However, The scientists behind the device, based at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School say the system - known as digital diffraction diagnosis or D3 - can be adapted to screen for other types of cancers and
article_snippet.sent: Professor Ralph Weissleder, a system's biologist at Harvard Medical School who led the work, said Professor Ralph Weissleder, a system's biologist at Harvard Medical School who led the work could even be used to help diagnose infectious diseases like HIV, TB and Ebola.
article_snippet.sent: Writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Professor Weissleder and his colleagues said: 'Professor Weissleder and his colleagues envisage that these advances will position D3 as a versatile screening tool for various cancer types (eg cervix, breast ad lymphoma) and infectious diseases (eg Ebola, HIV and tuberculosis) with applications in field work, mobile clinics and home care settings.'
article_snippet.sent: Professor Weissleder said that the prevalence of smartphone technology around the world could bring tests like this to remote areas.
article_snippet.sent: Professor Weissleder said: 'By taking advantage of the increased penetration of mobile phone technology worldwide, the system should allow the prompt triaging of suspicious or high-risk cases that could help to offset delays caused by limited pathology services in those regions and reduce the need for patients to return for follow-up care, which is often challenging for patients.
article_snippet.sent: Dr Cesar Castro, a cancer specialist at Massachusets General Hospital, said Dr Cesar Castro, a cancer specialist at Massachusets General Hospital could prove invaluable for places like Botswana, where there are less than 10 pathologists in the whole country.
article_snippet.sent: Dr Cesar Castro, a cancer specialist at Massachusets General Hospital said: 'The global burden of cancer, limited access to prompt pathology services in many regions and emerging cell profiling technologies increase the need for low-cost, portable and rapid diagnostic approaches that can be delivered at the point of care.'
highlights_snippet.sent: Digital diffraction diagnosis or D3 could be used to detect cancerous cells in blood or tissue samples and even detect infections from HIV and Ebola .
  