Fast and cheap cancer test from just a drop of blood

According to SciTechDaily, this cancer testing method uses an ultra-thin membrane to capture extracellular vesicles.

Cells release billions of extracellular vesicles into blood, saliva, and other body fluids. These extracellular vesicles carry important information, including proteins and genetic material from their parent cells, providing detailed information about the current state of the body, especially helping to detect cancer early.

Fast and cost-effective cancer testing method

Scientists see great potential for extracellular vesicles in diagnosis and therapy, but are facing challenges in developing rapid and cost-effective methods.

Researchers have developed ultrathin membranes with perfectly sized pores to capture and display extracellular vesicles - (Image: University of Rochester/Erik Patak).

In a study published in the journal Small , researchers at the University of Rochester presented a new method that uses ultrathin membranes to easily identify extracellular vesicles in rapid liquid biopsy tests.

The approach, called 'catch and display for liquid biopsy' (CAD-LB) , promises rapid and affordable cancer diagnosis, as well as assessment of treatment progress.

'By looking for extracellular vesicles and the biomarkers they carry in blood or other body fluids, you can find important clues that something is wrong in the body,' said James McGrath, professor of biomedical engineering and lead author of the study.

"This idea has been around for a long time, but previously required multiple purification steps to separate extracellular vesicles from other components of biological fluids. CAD-LB is much simpler and faster, offering potential clinical applications that more complex methods do not have."

The team developed ultrathin membranes with pore sizes perfectly designed to capture extracellular vesicles.

After blood sampling, the sample is processed quickly, dropped onto the membrane using a pipette dropper and analyzed directly under a microscope.

By counting the number of holes that glow with the biomarker for the disease being evaluated, the user can quickly estimate the prevalence of the disease in the body.

Immune protein discovery and therapeutic customization

In addition to demonstrating the CAD-LB method, the study also demonstrates the ability of this method to identify important immunoregulatory proteins on extracellular vesicles.

These proteins play an important role in helping the body fight tumors and can predict how well a patient will respond to immunotherapies.

'CAD-LB is now sensitive enough to detect some cancers at a curable stage, demonstrating the potential of this technology for cancer screening,' said co-author Jonathan Flax, research assistant professor in the department of urology at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

'This approach could also be used to predict the appropriate choice of immunotherapy for each patient, targeting treatments and eliminating cancer cells,' he said .