You can detect cancer before symptoms by taking a simple and cheap blood test
In a new study, scientists have developed a highly sensitive blood test that detects a key protein produced by cancer cells.Researchers at Rockefeller University have developed a fast, cheap and highly sensitive blood test to diagnose cancer. It finds a characteristic protein that cancer cells produce. The test can detect a number of cancers before symptoms appear and will be key to early diagnosis of the disease.
The biomarker LINE-1 ORF1p was found relatively recently. LINE-1 is a retrotransposon, a virus-like element that has been found in human cells. LINE-1 produces ORF1p protein in large amounts in cancers including esophageal, colorectal, lung, breast, prostate, ovarian, uterine, pancreatic, and head and neck cancers.
Head and neck cancer is the term used to describe a number of different malignant tumors that develop in the throat, larynx, nose, sinuses, and mouth or in these organs. Most head and neck cancers are squamous cell carcinomas.
"Typically, transposons are expressed in sperm and egg cells and during embryogenesis. But otherwise, these 'jumping' genes are 'silent' inside the genome because their activity creates stress and damage in the cell," explains John LaCava, one of the study's co-authors. Most of the time, the body keeps LINE-1 under control. But when it is expressed and produces ORF1p, it is an indicator that a pathological process is occurring in the body.
"There are mechanisms that prevent LINE-1 expression and ORF1p production, so the protein can be used as a 'representative' of an unhealthy cell that no longer controls its transcriptome. We need to find ORF1p in the bloodstream of a healthy person," LaCava explains.
Cancer cells are known to produce ORF1p from the very beginning of the disease, so analyzing for this protein will help detect cancer in its early stages.
Because ORF1p can be found in concentrations that are well below the detection limits of conventional clinical laboratory methods, the researchers used a single-molecule-based detection technology called Simoa. It is an ultra-sensitive immunoassay platform for measuring biomarkers in small volumes of serum, plasma or cerebrospinal fluid. Special nanobelt reagents, derived and created from llamas, were used to detect and capture the ORF1p protein.
The scientists tested the effectiveness of the test. It showed the best result in detecting ovarian cancer, gastroesophageal cancer and colorectal cancer. The test is cost-effective, its price does not exceed $3, and the result can be obtained in less than two hours. In addition to diagnosis, the test can assess the success of cancer treatment based on ORF1p levels. In a study of patients with gastroesophageal cancer, those who responded to treatment showed a significant decrease in levels of this protein.
The study is published in the journal Cancer Discovery.
The article is for informational purposes only. "Forever Young does not provide medical advice.