New unusual technique for early detection of cancer
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Specialists representing the American University of Stanford, shared their discovery concerning the early diagnosis of cancerous tumors. They proposed an intravenous injection of a small piece of a special magnetic wire, capable of attracting and retaining a suspension of cancer cells in the blood. According to scientists, this method will help "catch" the disease at the earliest stages of development.
The entire scientific medical world is interested in the fact that cancer processes are identified as early as possible, because the health and life prognosis directly depends on this. However, in practice, the diagnosis of cancer is too late, when it is not a matter of curing the patient, but only of prolonging his life. Now if it were possible to determine and "catch" tumor cells in the blood even before the development of the process - the question of qualitative treatment would be resolved.
"In the circulatory system" floats "negligible few cancer cells. Therefore, if you simply take blood and try to find them, then such an attempt is unlikely to be successful, "explains one of the study's leaders Sam Gambir.
Scientists joke that the probability of determining a cancer cell in a blood test is equal to trying to find one tiny grains of sand in a filled bath if one draws water from it on a single mug.
To attract malignant structures, American specialists used a miniature magnet in the form of a wire that should be injected intravenously. Magnetization occurs with the help of nanoparticles containing antibodies, fixed on a number of cancer cells passing by, after which the latter "stick" to the magnetic wire.
At the moment, this technique has already been successfully tested on pigs: scientists managed to detect 10 to 80 times more malignant structures than a standard blood test.
"Previously, we would have had to do up to eight dozen blood tests to get the result that we got with a magnetic wire in twenty minutes," says the professor.
The toxicity test, which was conducted on rodents, confirmed the safety of the new method. The next step for scientists should be a clinical study involving people.
Experts have already called the development of scientists very promising. Presumably, the technique will be used not only for diagnostic purposes, but also for therapeutic purposes, because a magnet can play the role of a filter that prevents the spread of malignant cells throughout the body.
Probably, the magnet can be directed to other types of cells - for example, to search and "catch" bacterial infection, circulating tumor DNA, or the rare types of cells responsible for the development of the inflammatory process.
Details of the study are available for review in the Nature Biomedical Engineering (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-018-0257-3).
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