Urine-Based Nanosensor Tracks Lung Cancer and Fibrosis Noninvasively

Clinicians need repeatable, noninvasive tools that can capture underlying disease activity without relying solely on intermittent imaging or biopsy. Researchers have now developed a urine-based nanosensor that detects lung disease–associated biological signals, offering a potential approach for earlier detection and longitudinal monitoring in both cancer and fibrotic lung disease.

At the University of Cambridge, investigators created a sensor platform that translates cellular senescence biology into a urinary readout. The work centers on biology increasingly recognized as a hallmark of cancer and age-related disease. The approach was evaluated in models of lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis and is moving toward clinical testing.

The nanoprobe, called ALBANC, consists of human serum albumin linked to gold nanoclusters through peptide linkers that are cleaved by matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7). When elevated MMP-7 activity is present in diseased tissue, the linkers are cut, releasing tracer fragments that enter the bloodstream and are filtered by the kidneys. These fragments then produce a measurable color-based signal in urine. A nanoparticle growth-based amplification step increases detection sensitivity by about 250-fold compared with conventional methods, enabling repeatable, noninvasive monitoring over time.

In findings published online in Nature Aging on May 13, 2026, the system tracked senescence-associated activity in preclinical lung cancer models rather than detecting cancer cells directly. Using patient samples, murine models and large genomic datasets, the team identified MMP-7 as a key biomarker linked to therapy response in lung cancer and also present in pulmonary fibrosis. The same MMP-7–associated signal appeared in experimental models of pulmonary fibrosis at early stages, reflecting shared senescence-related tissue activity across disease contexts.

Planned clinical trials will assess how reliably the nanoprobe reports MMP-7–associated biological activity in patients. The goal is to determine whether the test can be developed for monitoring lung cancer progression, treatment response and related fibrotic disease. This work involves the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, the Early Cancer Institute, and the Department of Oncology at Cambridge, including the CRUK Cambridge Center Thoracic Cancer Program.

“In addition to its application in monitoring lung cancer biology, including therapy resistance and disease progression, our work shows that the system can also report on biological signals associated with pulmonary fibrosis. This is particularly important given the severity of the disease and the lack of effective early intervention once it becomes established,” said Professor Daniel Muñoz-Espín, of the Early Cancer Institute at Cambridge and co-Director of the CRUK Cambridge Centre Thoracic Cancer Program.

"A non-invasive way to track disease-related biology over time could be valuable in patients at higher risk, including those with underlying lung conditions, environmental exposures or other known risk factors," added Prof. Muñoz-Espín.

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