Today, to find out if an individual has cancer, doctors must take a tissue biopsy from their suspected tumor. The invasive procedure relies on the patient noticing a lump and reporting symptoms suggesting potential cancer. But scientists at the University of Queensland (Australia) believe they have identified a faster and cheaper way to detect traces of the disease.
In Nature Communications, they present this December 5 a test for the detection of cancer cells, which can be carried out in ten minutes. This tool would identify the differences between cancer cells and healthy cells in the blood of patients, in order to obtain a rapid diagnosis. If further studies are needed, it would allow access to systematic screening and provide a simple procedure for physicians.
A modification of the methylation process
Coming to these results, the Queensland team found that the DNA of cancer cells and the DNA of healthy cells differently “stick” to metal surfaces. In fact, DNA is genetically programmed to configure itself with molecules of methyl groups, in a process called “methylation”. This acts as a “controller”, silencing unnecessary genes and revealing others.
However, cancer affects the physical and chemical properties of DNA, which modifies this famous methylation process. While the DNA of normal cells is littered with methyl groups, much of the DNA of cancer cells is stripped. And the rare methyl groups are only found in small clusters in specific locations.
Water changes color in cancer
So the researchers came to observe that the two different DNAs behave very differently. Among other characteristics, cancer cells thus bind more strongly to gold nanoparticles. The scientists therefore created a test based on water and these nanoparticles, which make water pink. If DNA from cancer cells is then added, it sticks to the gold so that the water retains its original color. But if DNA from healthy cells is added, the DNA binds to the particles differently and the water turns blue.
Their approach has been tested on more than 100 human samples, 72 patients with different cancers and 31 healthy individuals. In the end, the test would have a sensitivity of 90%, that is to say that it would detect approximately 90 cases of cancer in 100. At this stage, the test can only detect the presence of cancer cells, and not their. type or stage of the disease. Further testing is underway to allow more detailed analysis, but the breakthrough, never before apprehended, is a big leap in the research.
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