Biochip for early diagnosis of cancer and not only
Scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory of the Nuclear Energy Research Center (Chicago, Illinois) have developed a biochip that allows diagnosing certain types of cancer before its symptoms appear.
Eprogen has licensed this technology and is using it to search for new cancer biomarkers. Tumors, even at the earliest, asymptomatic stages, shed proteins that enter the bloodstream and trigger immune reactions, in particular, the synthesis of antibodies. The company's specialists claim that comparing the autoantibody profiles of healthy people and cancer patients is a promising method of searching for early indicators of diseases.
The process they use, called two-dimensional protein fractionation, allows sorting thousands of different proteins of malignant cells by differences in their electric charge and hydrophobicity.
Using this method, researchers obtain 960 protein fractions, which are placed in a biochip containing 96-well plates. After that, the biochip is treated with previously known autoantibodies synthesized by the immune system of cancer patients.
The use of autoantibodies of the patient for diagnosis will allow doctors to select treatment according to his individual profile of autoantibodies. The uniqueness of the new method lies in the fact that scientists use real data about a person's disease to obtain new, more detailed diagnostic information that specialists can use to study and treat cancer.
According to Daniel Schabacker, a specialist at Argonne National Laboratory who developed the technology, biochips have already demonstrated great potential in diagnostic medicine. In addition to Eprogen, three other companies have licensed the technology. One of them, Akonni Biosystems, has already developed several dozen tests based on it, produced under the TruArray trademark. Another company, Safeguard Biosystems, has licensed biochips to create veterinary diagnostic kits.
For example, when diagnosing diseases of the upper respiratory tract, antibodies or DNA contained in a smear from the patient's oral cavity bind to the molecules deposited on the biochip. After processing, the holes of the biochip, in which such binding occurred, begin to glow. A special program decrypts the image scanned using a computer, calculates the statistical probability of the presence of an infectious agent and provides information to the doctor.
The development of diagnostic tools like TruArray is capable of revolutionizing diagnostics, because it allows simultaneous diagnosis of a large number of diseases. One of the unique properties of the method is the possibility of simultaneous testing for bacterial and viral infections.
The analysis using a biochip takes about 30 minutes and ensures confidentiality and high accuracy of diagnosis, because the doctor, without leaving the office, can practically determine the nature of the disease and the stage of its development before the patient's eyes.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of ScienceDaily
16.05.2008