It鈥檚 a serious problem and current diagnostic tests aren鈥檛 very specific. But a research team at the 麻豆原创 NanoScience Technology Center has found a more accurate test that not only determines whether a patient has prostate cancer, but also how aggressive it is.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 really what is unique and exciting about our new discovery,鈥� said associate professor Qun 鈥淭reen鈥� Huo, the lead investigator on the project. 鈥淥ur nanoparticles not only seek out a chemical reaction that is specific to prostate cancer, they can also tell us how aggressive the cancerous cells are likely to be, which can give doctors better information to treat their patients.鈥�
Current tests can鈥檛 tell how aggressive the cancer is, which often leads to the gland鈥檚 removal when other options might be available. For example, a very aggressive type of cancer in a young man may require immediate removal of his prostate gland to save his life. A slow-acting cancer in a young patient may give him more options that are less radical.
And options are good because the prostate is a very important gland. It helps regulate urine flow and is involved in the production of semen in men. The effects of surgical removal of the prostate gland can range from mild loss of erection and pain on orgasm, to total loss of erection and incontinence.
Huo鈥檚 work is published in the 听 today.
The technique is rather simple, Huo said.
She uses gold nanoparticles that detect a specific chemical reaction between a prostate tumor and the human immunoglobulin G (IgG). IgG is an abundant protein circulating in the blood.听 Research has shown that IgG likes to stick to the surface of the gold nanoparticles to form a protein corona. This corona can be detected by a technique called dynamic light scattering. 听Huo found that when cancer cells are present, they can 鈥渄estroy鈥� the IgG in the blood, and this specific interaction is picked up by the gold nanoparticles. Using this simple test, Huo can determine quantitatively how aggressive the prostate tumors are and the likelihood they will metastasize. The team tested out the technique on human tissue samples.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had already done our study with animal and human blood samples,鈥� (, ) Huo said. 鈥淣ow we鈥檝e confirmed our findings in both animal models and human tissue samples. I am in the process of conducting a validation study with the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute and I am very confidant the technology works.鈥�
If all goes well, clinical trials could begin in 听two to three years, and Huo hopes the diagnostic tool could be routinely used by physicians in as little as five years. The test most likely would be used to supplement those already used to provide doctors with more quantitative and accurate information, which could lead to more treatment options.
The system that detects the reaction was discovered in Huo鈥檚 lab four years ago. It鈥檚 called 鈥渘anoparticle-enabled dynamic light scattering assay (NanoDLSay) and it is being used by many researchers around the world for everything from detecting cancer in blood to finding lead in water.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking for funding now to get to the next step,鈥� Huo said.
The National Science Foundation and the Florida Department of Health Bankhead-Coley Foundation funded a lot of the basic research that went into creating the new technology.
鈥淯ltimately it鈥檚 about working together to help doctors help patients,鈥� Huo said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I research cancer. I want to help make that happen.鈥�
Collaborators on the project include: Shannon Sullivan and Hillari Hallquist also from the 麻豆原创 NanoScience Technology Center, and Sally A. Litherland, Dr. David A. Decker and Inoel Rivera-Ramirez from the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute.
Huo joined 麻豆原创 in 2005 after working as an assistant professor at North Dakota State University.听 She has a doctorate degree in chemistry from the University of Miami and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the same institution. She earned a National Science Foundation CAREER award among other recognition. She also is a panel review member for the National Institutes of Health. She has several patents for her innovative work. At 麻豆原创 she works at the NanoScience Technology Center and has joint appointments in the department of chemistry, college of medicine and department of mechanics, materials and aerospace engineering. She also is president of Nano Discovery Inc. a start-up company that she cofounded to commercialize NanoDLSay.