A test that costs less than a $1 and yields results in minutes has been shown in newly published studies to be more sensitive and more exact than the current standard test for early-stage prostate cancer.
The simple test developed by 麻豆原创 scientist Qun 鈥淭reen鈥� Huo holds the promise of earlier detection of one of the deadliest cancers among men. It would also reduce the number of unnecessary and invasive biopsies stemming from the less precise PSA test that鈥檚 now used.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic,鈥� said Dr. Inoel Rivera, a urologic oncologist at Florida Hospital Cancer Institute, which collaborated with Huo on the recent pilot studies. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a simple test. It鈥檚 much better than the test we have right now, which is the PSA, and it鈥檚 cost-effective.鈥�
When a cancerous tumor begins to develop, the body mobilizes to produce antibodies. Huo鈥檚 test detects that immune response using gold nanoparticles about 10,000 times smaller than a freckle.
When a few drops of blood serum from a finger prick are mixed with the gold nanoparticles, certain cancer biomarkers cling to the surface of the tiny particles, increasing their size and causing them to clump together.
Among researchers, gold nanoparticles are known for their extraordinary efficiency at absorbing and scattering light. Huo and her team at 麻豆原创鈥檚 NanoScience Technology Center developed a technique known as nanoparticle-enabled dynamic light scattering assay (NanoDLSay) to measure the size of the particles by analyzing the light they throw off. That size reveals whether a patient has prostate cancer and how advanced it may be.
And although it uses gold, the test is cheap. A small bottle of nanoparticles suspended in water costs about $250, and contains enough for about 2,500 tests.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 different and unique about our technique is it鈥檚 a very simple process, and the material required for the test is less than $1,鈥� Huo said. 鈥淎nd because it鈥檚 low-cost, we鈥檙e hoping most people can have this test in their doctor鈥檚 office. If we can catch this cancer in its early stages, the impact is going to be big.鈥�
After lung cancer, prostate cancer is the second-leading killer cancer among men, with more than 240,000 new diagnoses and 28,000 deaths every year.聽The most commonly used screening tool is the PSA, but it produces so many false-positive results 鈥� leading to painful biopsies and extreme treatments 鈥� that one of its discoverers recently called it 鈥渉ardly more effective than a coin toss.鈥�
Pilot studies found Huo鈥檚 technique is significantly more exact. The test determines with 90 to 95 percent confidence that the result is not false-positive. When it comes to false-negatives, there is 50 percent confidence 鈥� not ideal, but still significantly higher than the PSA鈥檚 20 percent 鈥� and Huo is working to improve that number.
The results of the pilot studies were published recently in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Huo is also scheduled to present her findings in June at the TechConnect World Innovation Summit & Expo in suburban Washington, D.C.
Huo鈥檚 team is pursuing more extensive clinical validation studies with Florida Hospital and others, including the VA Medical Center Orlando. She hopes to complete major clinical trials and see the test being used by physicians in two to three years.
Huo also is researching her technique鈥檚 effectiveness as a screening tool for other tumors.
鈥淧otentially, we could have a universal screening test for cancer,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur vision is to develop an array of blood tests for early detection and diagnosis of all major cancer types, and these blood tests are all based on the same technique and same procedure.鈥�
Huo co-founded Nano Discovery Inc., a startup company headquartered in a 麻豆原创 Business Incubator, to commercialize the new diagnostic test. The company manufacturers a test device specifically for medical research and diagnostic purposes.