A startup called Miroculus has unveiled plans for a potentially groundbreaking device that will quickly and easily detect microRNA in the blood to determine whether patients might have cancer.

The tech is based on microRNA, a class of small molecules capable of appearing and disappearing, depending on different illnesses in our body, reports Wired. Dubbed Miriam, the project was made public at the TEDGlobal conference in Rio De Janeiro on Thursday. TED curator Chris Anderson said it was "one of the most thrilling demos in TED history."

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Although it is in its nascent stages, Miroculus says Miriam could make regular cancer screenings as easy as giving a blood sample. 

There are 14.1 million people who get cancer every year, according to The World Cancer Report. Out of the 14.1 million suffering, 8.2 million people die from cancer each year.

One of the best ways to prevent death is early detection. Doctors who are able to perform tests and therapy on patients earlier in the cancer treatment obtain better results. The problem is to spot cancer, people need to go to appointments to check prostate and breast.

Miriam's final goal is to offer this product to everyone who wants to check for illnesses and disease, and will work with pharmaceutical companies.

It is a breakthrough product because of its simplicity, not because it adds a lot of new features. People can already have advanced screenings for cancer, but it involves going to a doctor clinic and potentially being put on a long waiting list, whereas the new Miriam technology is readily available.

TagsMiriam, 3D Printing, Cancer research, Miroculus, microRNA, Cancer