Brazilian creates pen that detects cancer in 10 seconds

Imagine being in surgery and, in just a few seconds, the doctor knows exactly where the cancer is and where the healthy tissue ends. This is no longer a science fiction dream. It’s reality – and he has a Brazilian accent. The person responsible for the discovery is Lívia Schiavinato Eberlin, a chemist born in Campinas (SP), daughter of teachers and passionate about science since she was little. Curious and creative, she grew up with the desire to understand what happens inside the human body – and ended up creating a tool that promises to change the way cancer is diagnosed and treated around the world.

From Unicamp to Texas: the scientist’s path

Lívia graduated in Chemistry from Unicamp and soon attracted attention for her talent and passion for research. At a young age, she decided to pursue a career abroad and was accepted into a doctorate at Purdue University, in the United States. There, he immersed himself in the world of mass spectrometry, a technique that analyzes the chemical composition of substances, and began thinking about how to use it to help people.

During her doctorate and postdoctoral studies at Stanford, she noticed a common challenge in oncological surgeries: doctors need to remove all the cancerous tissue, but identifying the exact limits of the tumor during the operation is complex. Normally, the material is sent to the laboratory and the result takes hours or even days. This often means that the patient needs to return for a second surgery.

“I wanted to create something that would make surgeons’ lives easier and, above all, save patients suffering,” said the scientist in an interview. It was from this desire that the MasSpec Pen was born, affectionately called the “pen that detects cancer”.

How the ‘cancer pen’ works

The MasSpec Pen is a small device connected to a computer. When the doctor touches the tip of the pen to a tissue, a microdroplet of water is released. This drop absorbs molecules from the tissue and sends them, through a tube, to equipment that instantly reads the chemistry.

Based on this “chemical profile”, the system can identify whether the tissue is healthy or cancerous — all in less than 10 seconds and with more than 95% accuracy.

The pen’s biggest difference is its speed and precision. In surgery, every second counts. While conventional exams require sending samples to the laboratory, the MasSpec Pen provides the answer instantly, helping the doctor decide how far to operate. This means less anesthesia time, less risk of reoperations and more safety for the patient.

MasSpec Pen is a small device connected to a computer that detects cancer in 10 seconds

International recognition

Since it was presented, the invention has become a sensation in scientific circles. The Brazilian has already received the MacArthur Fellowship award, known as the “genius scholarship”, in addition to other international recognition for innovation. In 2024, Lívia was also awarded by the Welch Foundation, one of the most respected research entities in the United States.

She was listed among the most promising scientists in the world and her name appeared in congresses and specialized magazines. The feat is even more impressive because Lívia, a Latina woman in a male-dominated field, achieved global prominence without giving up her Brazilian origins. “I take with me the curiosity and creativity that I learned in Brazil. This different perspective was essential to create something innovative”, he said in a recent talk.

Research in Brazil and future impact

With international success, the scientist is now working to expand pen testing in Brazil. Brazilian universities and hospitals have already started partnerships to validate the technology in local surgeries, especially in public hospitals that deal with large volumes of patients and have less access to rapid exams.

The idea is that, in the future, the MasSpec Pen can be produced on a large scale and reach the public health system, making cancer diagnosis faster and more accessible.

The technology has been tested in several types of cancer — including breast, lung, thyroid, pancreas and ovarian — and shows promising results in all of them. In some studies, the pen was able to identify tumor margins invisible to the human eye, increasing the chances of cure and reducing complications.

A revolution with a Brazilian touch

The success of the MasSpec Pen goes far beyond laboratories. The discovery represents a new way of seeing the future of medicine — a fusion between science, technology and humanity.

With the pen, doctors can make decisions in real time, and patients gain hope for faster diagnoses and more effective treatments. In a world where cancer is still one of the leading causes of death, an invention like this could save millions of lives.

“Each advance in detection is an additional chance of beating cancer,” Lívia says.

Today, she is a professor at Baylor University, in the United States, and leads a group of young scientists who follow in her footsteps. Even far away, he maintains ties with Brazil and makes a point of encouraging girls and women to enter science.

“I want to show that science is also done by women, by Brazilian women, and that it is possible to change the world with curiosity and courage”, she says.

Soon, the “cancer pen” should enter new clinical trials and, who knows, reach Brazilian operating rooms. Until then, Lívia’s work continues to inspire a new generation of scientists — and proving that, sometimes, all it takes is the stroke of a pen to change the history of medicine.

*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jovem Pan.