A device that can detect cancers and other diseases from a sample of blood within 20 minutes without the need for surgery is being developed by scientists at Yale University.

The paperback book-sized gadget can detect biomarkers in the blood that indicate whether the patient is suffering from a disease.

The new machine has a built-in filter that removes chemicals that would otherwise distort the readings, according to The Times.

Yale professor Mark Reed said that the new device could also be used to test for a wide range of diseases at the same time, from ovarian cancer to cardiovascular disease.

Nanosensors have been around for the past decade, but they only worked in controlled laboratory settings,” Reed said.