Lab-on-a-chip will determine glioblastoma by blood test
The most aggressive brain tumor will be detected by a laboratory on a chip
The corresponding study was conducted by a group of specialists led by Ralph Weissleder from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. A report on their work is published in the journal Nature Medicine (Shao et al., Protein typing of circulating microvesicles allows real-time monitoring of glioblastoma therapy).
Wilder and his colleagues used the property of cells to secrete microvesicles, or exosomes. These small bubbles, surrounded by a cell membrane, provide intercellular interaction, in particular, the transport of proteins and nucleic acids. Exosomes are involved in a variety of processes, including the formation of metastases, tissue regeneration, as well as the formation of new vessels (angiogenesis).
Glioblastoma malignant brain tumor cells secrete specific microvesicles into the bloodstream. However, it is difficult to determine the presence of such elements in the blood due to their small size.
To diagnose tumors, the researchers proposed using magnetized nanoparticles that attach to the proteins of glioblastoma exosomes.
Microvesicles labeled in this way can be tracked using a lab on a chip.
The technique was successfully tested on laboratory animals, and then on a group of 24 patients. The diagnostic accuracy exceeded 90 percent.
According to the authors of the work, the described technique allows not only to identify exosomes specific for glioblastomas, but also to recognize mutations of malignant cells, evaluate the activity of tumor growth, as well as the effectiveness of therapy.
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor.
According to the World Health Organization, this type of primary neoplasms accounts for more than half of all brain tissue tumors, as well as a fifth of all intracranial tumors.
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