We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Events

09 Apr 2024 - 12 Apr 2024
15 Apr 2024 - 17 Apr 2024
23 Apr 2024 - 26 Apr 2024

Nanotechnology-Based Blood Test Could Revolutionize Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 06 Feb 2023
Print article
Image: The new blood test will help optimize treatment for prostate cancer patients (Photo courtesy of Pexels)
Image: The new blood test will help optimize treatment for prostate cancer patients (Photo courtesy of Pexels)

Cancer of the prostate is the most common cancer and second-leading cause of cancer death among men in the U.S. About 30% of post-surgical patients who get their prostate, a walnut-sized gland just below the bladder, removed can see an increase in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in their blood that can also indicate cancer recurrence. In case a remnant of the cancer is left behind in the prostate bed, where the prostate gland once was, focused radiation therapy can be used to cure the disease or delay progression, although that treatment comes with its own risks. In patients with microscopic cancer deposits spread outside their prostate area, focused radiation treatment cannot prevent disease progression. Even the most advanced imaging cannot detect these deposits, called micro-metastases. Now, researchers have developed a new nanotechnology-based test that can detect and profile prostate cancers - even in microscopic amounts. The “liquid biopsy” test can help patients avoid unnecessary treatment-related side effects and direct them instead to effective therapies that could extend their life span.

The test developed by investigators at Cedars-Sinai (Los Angeles, CA, USA) isolates and characterizes extracellular vesicles, also called EVs, from blood samples. EVs are microscopic packets of protein and genetic material that are shed by cells. The EV Digital Scoring Assay can pull these EV packets from the blood with unprecedented efficiency and analyze them faster than any available test. For the study, the investigators tested blood samples from 40 patients with prostate cancer and found that the test could distinguish cancer localized to the prostate from cancer that had spread to other parts of the body. The investigators were also able to detect microscopic cancer deposits, or micro-metastases, using the EV test.

The test can be used to help patients who have their prostate gland removed and later see increased PSA levels in their blood, according to the investigators. The test could also be adapted to guide treatment as prostate cancer therapies become more targeted at the molecular level, ultimately extending patients’ lives. The investigators are now working to further refine the test so that it can be studied in greater detail.

“This research will revolutionize the liquid biopsy in prostate cancer,” said Edwin Posadas, MD, medical director of the Urologic Oncology Program and co-director of the Experimental Therapeutics Program in Cedars-Sinai Cancer. “The test is fast, minimally invasive and cost-effective, and opens up a new suite of tools that will help us optimize treatment and quality of life for prostate cancer patients.”

Related Links:
Cedars-Sinai 

Platinum Member
COVID-19 Rapid Test
OSOM COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
HLX
Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Test
GPP-100 Anti-CCP Kit
Gold Member
Real-time PCR System
GentierX3 Series

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: Reaching speeds up to 6,000 RPM, this centrifuge forms the basis for a new type of inexpensive, POC biomedical test (Photo courtesy of Duke University)

POC Biomedical Test Spins Water Droplet Using Sound Waves for Cancer Detection

Exosomes, tiny cellular bioparticles carrying a specific set of proteins, lipids, and genetic materials, play a crucial role in cell communication and hold promise for non-invasive diagnostics.... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The low-cost portable device rapidly identifies chemotherapy patients at risk of sepsis (Photo courtesy of 52North Health)

POC Finger-Prick Blood Test Determines Risk of Neutropenic Sepsis in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Neutropenia, a decrease in neutrophils (a type of white blood cell crucial for fighting infections), is a frequent side effect of certain cancer treatments. This condition elevates the risk of infections,... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: The medical office procedure detects the key biomarker in Parkinson’s and related neurodegenerative diseases (Photo courtesy of BIDMC)

Simple Skin Biopsy Test Detects Parkinson’s and Related Neurodegenerative Diseases

Parkinson's disease and a group of related neurodegenerative disorders known as synucleinopathies impact millions globally. These conditions, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.