Miniscule device gets injected into tumors, tracks radiation dosage
![](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/cw35w3Wqc03dpl.HO6nRTw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTQyMDtoPTU3OQ--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/7nziSD8akK1BXmD7Ln1BGA--~B/aD00MDU7dz0yOTQ7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2008/04/4-8-08-ziaie-dosimeter.jpg)
Gurus at Purdue University have conjured up a prototype device which, when injected into a tumor, can actually track the "precise dose of radiation received and locate the exact position [of the tumor] during treatment." Currently, the needle-sized device is held within a hermetically sealed glass capillary, contains a miniature radiation dosimeter, operates without batteries and instead relies on "electrical coils placed next to the patient" for activation. As small as the RFID-enabled unit is, engineers are still hoping to create a version that is around the size of a grain of rice, and hopes are to have it in clinical trials in 2010.
[Via Physorg]