Washington State University researchers have developed a way to use an iPhone 5 to detect lung, prostate, liver, breast and epithelial cancers, meaning patients may one day be able to get almost instant diagnoses in a physician’s office, ambulance or emergency room.

The team created a spectrometer that can detect interleukin-6, which is a biomarker for those cancers. A spectrometer measures the light spectrum to determine the type of chemicals in a sample.

The current smartphone spectrometers are only capable of measuring one sample at a time. The new spectrometer can measure up to eight different samples at once using a test called ELISA that spots disease markers like antibodies and color changes.

The researchers have tested the spectrometer with lab-controlled samples and found that it's up to 99 percent accurate. They are now testing it in real-world situations.

"The spectrometer would be especially useful in clinics and hospitals that have a large number of samples without on-site labs, or for doctors who practice abroad or in remote areas," Lei Li, assistant professor at the university and lead researcher, said in a statement. "They can't carry a whole lab with them. They need a portable and efficient device."

The spectrometer currently only works with the iPhone 5, but Li and his team are working on creating an adjustable design that will be compatible with any smartphone.

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