The device can rip things apart with great accuracy, allowing it to separate the proteins of a boiled egg and take it back to how it was before it was cooked. But the same technique could be used to improve the efficacy of cancer drugs, as well as many other research applications.
Using the invention on carboplatin — a common cancer treatment drug, used against ovarian and lung cancers — has boosted the potency by almost five times.
The machine, known as a “vortex fluidic device”, was invented during a flight between Los Angeles and Sydney.
The design was actually put together on that 15-hour flight and the rest is history,” Colin Raston, the Australian who invented it, told ABC News. “We now have these devices that are delivering stunning results.”