Single Test Detects All Existing H5N1 Strains Single Test Detects All Existing H5N1 Strains

44 Pages·2012·8.77 MB·English

by  Arda Turac

VISIT
W O R L D ’ S C L I N I C A L L A B O R ATO RY N E W S L E A D E R
ISSN 1068-1760 Vol.29 No.5 •8-9/2012 DAILYCLINICALLAB NEWS
Novel Microbe Biomarkers Extremely Sensitive Test Troponin T Identifies
Reveal Radiation Exposure Detects Diseases Earlier Risk of Death After Surgery
RResearchers have identified AAn ultrasensitive test has been Scientists from the Imperial AAsimple blood test can help
unique biomarkers that could developed that should enable College London (UK; www3. identify people who are at
be used to confirm exposure to scientists to detect signs of a dis- imperial.ac.uk) collaborating with high risk of dying within the
damaging radiation in large ease in its earliest stages. the University of Vigo (Spain, month after noncardiac surgery.
groups of individuals potentially The test created is able detect www.uvigo.es) demonstrated that The blood test for the level of
exposed to unknown and variable particular molecules that indicate the new biosensor test can find a troponin T can help physicians tar-
doses for the purpose of triage and the presence of disease, even biomarker associated with pros- get patients who need enhanced
treatment. The findings are pub- when these are in very low con- tate cancer, called Prostate observation or interventions.
lished in the May 1, 2012, issue centrations. Specific Antigen (PSA). The team Currently, troponin levels are not
Cont’d on page 4 Cont’d on page 8 Cont’d on page 6
Dipstick Assay Evaluated
SSiinnggllee TTeesstt DDeetteeccttss AAllll
for Liver Fluke Diagnosis
EExxiissttiinngg HH55NN11 SSttrraaiinnss AAdipstick assay has been devel-
Control and Prevention Ssubtpayvepieead nyH i5ndNfel1ut eeicnstz ioacn rvi tiiorcufa sl t htooef aiasnenss cdar cyeio.tot spomT derhpydiae ag rtandionsio potsdisntgtii aicecg ntekno f fo uifscrsaeaoen cmsy f a e eisxmcvFciaaomrlseulicutaaoinstoreiolysda,--
Disease initiate measures toward pre- pgiagpaenrt iucsaindgo tat esdh eoentt oM ninitir-Pocroetlleualno sIeI
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mage: Courtesy of Ja satnrda iwnsit ho Shf eigtehh ae ar tcivccilrueu rsoa nc rypa.apgidel y4 mmaaInInmmiippaauugglleeaa::ttee eeCCxxsspDpD aeaeCC r rff i ilslmsmaaccsseeiikekenn n nttoossttffii s swwccttei ei tStSllhhllccss lolo iiuuvtvttstsee eSeS vvddmmii rrffiuiuotothshsrr CIFlCinCicNale Nwesw .s . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .3 .-3301
I
EFLM Corner . . . . . . . . . 36
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1 Identify LinkXpress®codes of Diagnostic Test Reader Lead Poisoning Threshold International Federation
of Clinical Chemistry
interest as you read magazine Performs with Cell Phones Lowered for Children and Laboratory Medicine
2 Click on LinkXpress.com GLOBETECH
to reach reader service portal AAcompact rapid diagnostic test TThe threshold level for defining >>>MEDIA<<<
(RDT) -reading device has been lead poisoning in children has
3 Mark code(s) of interest on developed that works in tandem been lowered for the first time in 20 Scan with
LinkXpress®inquiry matrix
with standard cell phones. In poor years. High levels of lead in a child’s
Smartphone
and remote areas of the globe where blood can cause coma, convulsions,
If your subscription conventional medical tools like and death, and even low levels can to Access
is not renewed every 12 months
microscopes and cytometers are cause decreased intelligence and
your Free Subscription may be Latest News
unavailable, RDTs are helping to impaired hearing.
automatically discontinued
Cont’d on page 3 Cont’d on page 8
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Diagnostic Test Reader
Performs with Cell Phones
cont’d from cover any manual decision-making. This platform
make disease screening quicker and simpler. would be quite useful for global health profes-
A team of scientists at University of Cali- sionals, as well as for policymakers, to under-
fornia, Los Angeles (UCLA; USA; www. stand cause-effect relationships at a much
ucla.edu) developed a cost-effective RDT- larger scale for combating infectious dis-
reader attachment, which clips onto a cell eases.” The study was published online on
phone, weighs approximately 65 g and April 16, 2012, in the journal Lab on a Chip.
includes an inexpensive lens, three LED
arrays and two AAA batteries. The platform Image: Cell phone with RDT reader developed by
researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli
has the ability to read nearly every type of
School of Engineering and Applied Science and
RDT. An RDT strip is inserted into the attach- the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA
ment, and with the help of cell phone’s exist- (Photo courtesy of UCLA).
ing camera unit and a special smart-
phone application, the strip is con-
verted into a digital image.
The platform then rapidly reads
the digitized RTD image to deter-
mine, first, whether the test is valid
and, second, whether the results are
positive or negative, thus eliminating
the potential errors that can occur
with a human reader, especially one
administering multiple tests of vari-
ous test types. The color changes in
RDTs does not last more than a few
hours in the field, therefore the abili-
ty to store the digitized image indefi-
nitely provides an added benefit.
After this step, the RDT-reader
platform wirelessly transmits the
results of the tests to a global server,
which processes them, stores them
and, using Google Maps, creates
maps charting the spread of various
diseases and conditions, both geo-
graphically and over time, through-
out the world. Together, the univer-
sal RDT reader and the mapping fea-
ture, which have been implemented
on all smart-phones, could signifi-
cantly increase the ability to track
emerging epidemics worldwide and
aid in epidemic preparedness.
RDTs are generally small strips on
which blood or fluid samples are
placed. Specific changes in the color
of the strip, which usually occur
within minutes, indicate the pres-
ence of infection. Different tests can
be used to detect various diseases,
including human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV), malaria, tuberculosis,
and syphilis. The advantages of RDTs
are significant as it allows the ability
of minimally trained technicians to
test large number of individuals, but
they can also present problems.
Aydogan Ozcan, PhD, a professor
at UCLA, said, “Conventional RDTs
are currently read manually, by eye,
which is prone to error, especially if
various different types of tests are
being used by the health care worker.
What we have created is a digital uni-
versal reader for all RDTs, without
3 LabMedica International
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Single Test Detects All Existing H5N1 Strains labmedica.com
AAbird flu diagnostic kit was successfully EDITORIALBOARD
developed by scientists at a research Rosa I.Sierra-Amor Mexico
Edward J. Bottone United States
institute and a hospital in Singapore.
Claus Christiansen Denmark
The advanced kit enables doctors to rap- Bernard Gouget France
idly detect all existing strains of H5N1 Jocelyn M. Hicks United States
Anders Kallner Sweden
viruses in a single test with almost 100%
John A. Koepke United States
accuracy. This will boost the public health- Christopher Price United Kingdom
care system and will aid pandemic pre- Andreas Rothstein Colombia
paredness worldwide against this highly Dmitry B. Saprygin Russia
Gérard Siest France
infectious and often lethal disease. Andrew Wootton United Kingdom
The new H5N1 test kit is more accu-
A GLOBETECH PUBLICATION
rately known as the H5N1 real-time
Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Published in cooperation with the International Federation
of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) and
Reaction (RT-PCR) assay. It is the only European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory
detection kit currently available on the Medicine (EFLM).
market that can accurately and rapidly detect all The new test kit is compatible with the previous- LHaobsMpieMdeicdaic aI nInteternrnaatiotionnaal l •• HLaobspMiMedeidcaic ae enn EEssppaaññooll •• HLoasbpMiMeeddicicaa CChhiinnaa
known strains of the H5N1 avian Influenza A virus. ly launched “4-plex” Influenza diagnostic kit. The lat- Medical Imaging International • Bio Research International • Medimaging.net
HospiMedica.com • LabMedica.com • BiotechDaily.com • TradeMed.com
The current gold standard for H5N1 detection rec- ter is being used by several regional hospitals in
Dan Gueron Publisher
ommended by the World Health Organization Thailand. Using such multiplex assays enables simul- Jill Roberge Editorial Director
Jacqueline Miller, PhD News Director
(WHO; Geneva, Switzerland; www.who.int) is only taneous detection and differentiation of the different
Raymond LJacobson, PhD News Editor
able to detect three out of the 10 distinct genetic types of influenza infection in a single test, which Gerald Slutzky, PhD News Editor
Andreas Rothstein News Editor
groups (clades 1, 2, and 3). To detect all existing will save laboratories time and expense.
Marcela Jensen Assistant Editor
strains of H5N1 with the WHO detection method is “We are excited to be able to contribute to the Joseph Ciprut Assistant Editor
Brenda Silva New Products Editor
not possible. fight against H5N1 virus with our expertise and
Paul Mills Regional Director
Codeveloped by Dr. Masafumi Inoue, a senior know-how. Our technology has greatly simplified and Doris Mendieta Regional Director
Renata Castro Regional Director
research scientist and project director of technology accelerated the process of detection and identifica- Dr. Jutta Ciolek Regional Director
development from the Experimental Therapeutics tion of new H5N1 variants. Such information is espe- Christina Chang Regional Director
Arda Turac Production Director
Centre (ETC) under the Agency for Science and cially critical when the virus mutates to become Elif Erkan Reader Service Manager
Technology Research (ASTAR; Singapore; www.etc.a- more dangerous, such as in drug resistance,” said Dr
HOW TO CONTACT US
star.edu.sg) and Dr Timothy Barkham, a senior con- Inoue.
sultant of Laboratory Medicine from Tan Tock Seng Subscriptions:www.LinkXpress.com
Send Press Releases to:[email protected]
Hospital (TTSH; Singapore; www.ttsh.com.sg), the Advertising & Ad Material:[email protected]
Image: Made-In-Singapore H5N1 Bird Flu Diagnostic
Other Contacts:[email protected]
newly launched H5N1 test kit has been clinically val- Kit, detects all known strains of H5N1 virus with a single
idated by several hospitals in Southeast Asia. test (Photo courtesy of A*STAR / TTSH). ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES
USA P.O.Box 800806, Miami, FL33280, USA
Novel Microbe Biomarkers Reveal Radiation Exposure [email protected] Tel: [phone]
GERMANY, SWITZ., AUSTRIABad Neustadt, Germany
[email protected] Tel: [phone]
cont’d from cover (Milwaukee, USA; www.mcw.edu), is the lead author
UK, FRANCE,NORDIC REG. Gerrards Cross, UK
of the journal Radiation Research. John E. Baker, PhD, of the study. [email protected] Tel: [phone]
professor of surgery, biochemistry, pharmacology, and There is an urgent need for fast, precise, and sensi- ITALY Genoa, Italy
toxicology at the Medical College of Wisconsin tive diagnostic platforms to validate exposure to radia- [email protected] Tel: [phone]
tion and estimate the dose absorbed by individuals. JAPAN Tokyo, Japan
[email protected] Tel: [phone]
Clinical symptoms do not provide sufficient diagnostic
CHINA Shenzen, Guangdong, China
information to triage and treat life-threatening radiation [email protected] Tel: [phone]
injuries; furthermore, the United States has been found ALLOTHER COUNTRIES Contact USAOffice
to be unprepared to assess and triage large groups of [email protected] Tel: [phone]
patients with potential radiation exposure. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
In this study, researchers examined the microbes
LabMedica lnternationalis published eight times a year
found in rat feces before and after exposure to radia- and is circuIated worldwide (outside the USA and
tion. Alterations were identified in the levels of 212 Canada) without charge and by written request, to
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that would be present around the ground zero area,
and limited medical resources available to evaluate ISSN 1068-1760
their exposure levels,” explained Dr. Baker. Vol.29 No.5. Published, under license, by Globetech Media
LLC; Copyright ©2012. All rights reserved. Reproduction in
“Analyzing microbial signatures in those patients any form is forbidden without express permission. Opinions
would be a noninvasive way to obtain results in a expressed are solely those of the authors, and do not rep-
resent an endorsement, or lack thereof, by the Publisher of
timely fashion, and allow us to commit resources to any products or services.
patients in need of intervention.” Teknopress Yayıncılık ve Ticaret Ltd. S¸ti. adına
˙Imtiyaz Sahibi: M. Geren • Yazı is¸leri Müdürü:Ersin Köklü
The PhyloChip assay, developed by Second Genome Müs¸ir Dervis¸˙Ibrahim Sok. 5/4, Esentepe, 34394 S¸is¸li, ˙Istanbul, Türkiye
Faks: [phone] • P. K. 1, AVPIM, 34001 ˙Istanbul
(San Bruno, CA, USA), was used in this study to exam- Baskı:Promat Web Ofset Tesisi • Sanayi Mahallesi 1673. Sokak
ine specific bacterial taxa. No: 34 • 34510 Esenyurt, B. Çekmece • ˙Istanbul, Türkiye
Yerel süreli yayındır. Yılda sekiz kere yayınlanır, ücretsiz dag˘ıtılır.
LabMedica International 4
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Dipstick Assay Evaluated
for Liver Fluke Diagnosis
cont’d from cover
human serum is applied. Parasitologists at Ain Shams University
(Cairo, Egypt; www.shams.edu.eg) collected blood samples were
collected from 60 individuals categorized into three groups. Group
I consisted of 30 fascioliasis patients, diagnosed by detection of eggs
of Fasciolain the stool and serologically by positive indirect hemag-
glutination test. Group II consisted of 20 patients with other para-
sitic diseases, and Group III consisted of 20 healthy individuals
proven negative for fascioliasis and other parasitic diseases.
The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried
using a standard protocol and the absorbance was measured at
450 nm using a microplate reader. Samples were considered
positive if their optical density was greater than the mean of
healthy control samples plus three
standard deviations. On the dipstick, a
dark purple to brown band indicated a
positive reaction.
The dipsticks’ accuracy was 98.3%,
with a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity
of 96.7%, and negative predictive value
of 100%. The sensitivity, specificity, and
diagnostic accuracy of the ELISA were
100%, 96.7%, and 98.3%, respectively.
The nitrocellulose paper and sheet
Mini-Protean II multiscreen apparatus
are both products of Bio-Rad (Hercules,
CA, USA; www.bio-rad.com).
The authors concluded that the dip-
stick is a simple antigen and serum-con-
servative test requires only micrograms
of parasite antigen and 20 µL of
patient’s sera. This test can be carried
out while the patients wait, and would
be more practical than what is currently
done especially in rural areas and dis-
trict hospitals. The test has its merit in
being both qualitative, able to screen
large numbers of blood samples, and
quantitative assay, as the end-point titra-
tion of individual’s sera can be deter-
mined. It is estimated that over 2.4 mil-
lion people are infected with Fasciola
species worldwide and around 91 mil-
lion are at risk of infection. The study
was published in the May 2012 issue of
the journal Parasitology Research.
Image: The Mini-Protean II multi-screen
apparatus (Photo courtesy of Bio-Rad).
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Troponin T Identifies
Risk of Death After Surgery
cont’d from cover http://fhs.mcmaster.ca) and cardiologist at
commonly measured after surgery. The results are Hamilton Health Sciences (Hamilton, ON,
from the VISION study, the largest international Canada; www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca).
prospective study evaluating complications after Devereaux said the results also demonstrated
surgery. VISION enrolled 15,133 adult patients in that most patients did not die until an average of
North and South America, Asia, Australia, and six or more days after their Troponin T blood test
Europe who had a Troponin T measurement daily was identified as elevated. “This holds out great
during the first three days after surgery. Patients hope that there is time to intervene.”
were followed in hospital at 30 days after surgery. Currently many laboratories consider a
“VISION demonstrated that a simple blood Troponin T measurement >0.04 ng/mL abnor-
test strongly identifies which noncardiac surgery mal. VISION demonstrated that Troponin T
patients are at high risk of dying in the next 30 (TnT) values below the commonly used thresh-
days,” said Dr. P.J. Devereaux, VISION principal old of 0.04 (i.e., 0.02 and 0.03) were strongly
investigator; associate professor of medicine, associated with 30-day mortality.
clinical epidemiology and biostatistics of the More than 200 million adults worldwide
Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at have major noncardiac surgery each year.
McMaster University (Hamilton, ON, Canada; Despite the benefits of surgery, many patients
suffer serious complications and more than one
million of those patients die within the first 30
days after surgery. Surgery activates pathways of
inflammation, stress, and clotting that predis-
pose the heart to injury. As a result, many
patients suffer heart attacks after surgery. The
study was published in the June 2012 Journal of
the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Image: Human blood samples, used to help identi-
fy people who are at high risk of dying within the
month after noncardiac surgery (Photo courtesy of
PRINT MAGAZINE
GrahamColm, Wikimedia).
Liquid Control System
Simplifies Urine
Chemistry Testing
cont’d from cover
INTERACTIVE including microalbumin and the hormone human
DIGITALEDITION chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), and enables consoli-
dation and cost savings.
WEB PORTAL
The control is manufactured from 100% human
urine, not only providing a matrix similar to the
patient sample, but also reducing antibody interfer-
ence and the possibility of control values shifting after
the reagent batch is changed. A 10 mL vial size and
an open vial stability of 30 days at 2-8 °C for all
parameters ensure that both waste and costs are kept
to a minimum.
Eliminating the need for reconstitution, the liquid
stable format of the control reduces the amount of
human handling and the subsequent risk of pipetting
errors. The material can also be economically shipped
and stored at 2-8 °C.
Called the Acusera liquid urine control and manu-
factured by Randox (Crumlin, United Kingdom;
www.randox.com), it is compatible for use with
Acusera 24.7, the company’s new web based inter-
laboratory data management program. With 24-7,
users benefit from the company’s extensive range of
MOBILE VERSION data management tools and gain access to worldwide
peer-group data. Acusera 24.7 updates peer-group
data every 24 hours giving laboratories access to the
most up to date information available.
Instrument specific target values and ranges are
provided for many common clinical chemistry analyz-
ers including Abbott Architect, and a number of
Beckman Coulter and Siemens systems.
LabMedica International 6
August-September/2012
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Extremely Sensitive Test Detects Diseases Earlier
cont’d from cover and it can be easily detected by scientists using
demonstrated the effectiveness of their biosensor optical microscopes.
by testing PSA biomarker samples in solutions con- In their study, the team detected PSA at 10-18
taining a complex mixture of blood derived serum g/mL, which is at the limits of current biosensor
proteins. Monitoring the levels of PSA at ultralow performance. By comparison, an existing test called
concentrations can be crucial in the early diagnosis an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
of the reoccurrence of prostate cancer, but classic that can detect PSA at 10-9 g/mL, which is nine
detection approaches are not sensitive enough to orders of magnitude more concentrated. The team
carry out this analysis with a high degree of accura- says that the biosensor can be easily reconfigured
cy. The new test could enable more reliable diagno- to test for other diseases or viruses where the relat-
sis, but more work will need to be done to further ed biomarker is known.
explore its potential. Molly M. Stevens, PhD, the senior author of the
The biosensors used in this study consist of study and a professor at Imperial College London,
nanoscopic-sized gold stars floating in a solution said, “It is vital to detect diseases at an early stage
containing other blood-derived proteins. Attached if we want people to have the best possible out-
to the surface of these gold stars are antibodies, comes – diseases are usually easier to treat at this
which latch onto PSA when they detect it in a sam- stage, and early diagnosis can give us the chance to
ple. A secondary antibody, which has an enzyme halt a disease before symptoms worsen. We only
called glucose oxidase attached to it, recognizes looked at the biomarker for one disease in this
the PSA and creates a distinctive silver crystal coat- study, but we’re confident that the test can be
ing on the gold stars, which is more apparent when adapted to identify many other diseases at an early
the PSA biomarkers are in low concentrations. This stage.” The study was published on May 27 2012,
silver coating acts like a signal that PSA is present, in the journal Nature Materials.
Lead Poisoning Threshold Lowered for Children
cont’d from cover repeated with a venous test for confirmation, usu-
The US Centers for Disease Control and ally within a week to a month after the first test.
Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, GA, USA; www.cdc. Follow-up testing is then used to monitor the per-
gov) has announced officially that the new refer- sistence of an elevated blood lead test and the orig-
ence value for lead poisoning was based on the inal recommendation was whenever a child’s blood
population of US children aged 1-5 years whose lead level is higher than 10 µg/dL. Those with per-
blood lead levels are in the highest 2.5% of children sistent lead levels above 15-19 µg/dL that remain
tested. The threshold level for defining lead poison- elevated for three months or more and those with
ing in children has been lowered from 10 µg/dL initial tests greater than 20 µg/dL should have
down to 5 µg/dL. their home surroundings evaluated to determine
About 450,000 children aged 1-5 years living in the source of the lead exposure.
the US have blood lead levels above the new stan- Christopher J. Portier, PhD, the director of the
dard, up from 250,000 with lead levels greater than CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health,
10 µg/dL of blood under the previous threshold. said, “Parents can act without the CDC being
The leading sources of lead exposure to US children there.” He suggested they could contact local
are lead-based paint, which was banned for use in health departments for testing of paint and dust to
housing in 1978, and lead-contaminated dust. detect high lead levels. The CDC also recommends
Since fingerstick samples can be contaminated parents regularly wash children’s hands and toys,
during collection of the specimen, an initial elevat- and wet-mop floors and windowsills, in addition to
ed result obtained by a fingerstick sample should be preventing children from playing in bare soil
Microfluidic Chip Can Diagnose Latent Tuberculosis
AAmicrofluidic chip has been developed that can the microfluidic sensor and electronic readout are
test for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and integrated on a single chip. An electrochemical
maybe faster and more reliable than current testing biosensor for simple andsensitive detection of IFN-γ
for the disease. Current tests for LTB are based on will have future applications in immunology, can-
detecting the release of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), a cer research, and infectious disease monitoring.
disease-fighting chemical made by cells of the The team has already conducted testing of blood
immune system, which commercially available samples from patients in China and the USA. About
tests require sending samples to a laboratory, and one-third of the world’s population is infected with
can be used just once. the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, a disease that
Biomedical engineers at University of California, kills an estimated 1.5 million people worldwide
Davis (UCD; CA, USA; www.ucdavis.edu) devel- every year, according to the US Centers for Disease
oped a novel approach for the assay. They coated a Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta GA, USA;
gold wafer with short pieces of a single-stranded www.cdc.gov).
DNA segment known to stick specifically to IFN-γ. Most infected people have latent TB, in which the
They then mounted the wafer in a chip that has bacteria are kept in check by the immune system.
tiny channels for blood samples. If IFN-γis present Patients become sick only when the immune system
in a blood sample, it sticks to the DNA, triggering is compromised, enabling the bacteria to become
an electrical signal that can be read by a clinician. active. People infected with the human immunodefi-
The scientists plan to refine the system so that ciency virus (HIV) are at especially high risk.
LabMedica International 8
August-September/2012
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Aggressive Prostate Cancer
Determined by Diagnostic Tool
AAnanoparticle test has been citrate-protected AuNP solution and
developed that distinguishes the average particle size of the AuNP
prostate cancer from normal and solution before and after sample
benign conditions and has the poten- incubation is measured by dynamic
tial to predict the aggressiveness of light scattering (DLS). The gold
prostate cancer quantitatively. nanoparticles detect a specific chem-
A serum gold particle nanoparti- ical reaction between a prostate
cle (AuNP) adsorption assay may tumor and the human immunoglob-
answer the biggest challenge for ulin G (IgG), an abundant protein
cancer biomarker discovery and circulating in the blood.
early cancer detection when the The IgG likes to stick to the sur-
nanoparticles. This simple test can discoveryinc.com). Qun Huo PhD,
amount of specific molecules that face of the gold nanoparticles to form
determine quantitatively how aggres- the lead investigator on the project,
are released from the tumor to the a protein corona. This corona can be
sive the prostate tumors are and the said, “Our nanoparticles not only
blood is very small. detected by the DLS technique. The
likelihood they will metastasize. The seek out a chemical reaction that is
Scientists at the University of investigators found that when cancer
team tested out the technique on specific to prostate cancer, they can
Central Florida (Orlando, USA; cells are present, they can destroy the
human tissue samples. The average also tell us how aggressive the cancer-
www.ucf.edu) who conducted the IgG in the blood, and this specific
diameter of the citrate AuNP is 100 ous cells are likely to be, which can
assay mixed a serum solution with a interaction is picked up by the gold
nm and the concentration of the give doctors better information to
nanoparticle is 10 pM and was treat their patients.” The study was
obtained from Ted Pella Inc. published on March 9, 2012, in the
(Redding, CA, USA; www.tedpella. Journal of Translational Medicine.
com). Particle size analysis of the
assay solutions was conducted using Image: Associate professor Qun
Treen Huo, the lead investigator on
an automatic DLS instrument,
the project designed to diagnose
NDS1200, from Nano Discovery Inc.
prostate cancer (Photo courtesy of the
(Orlando, FL, USA; www.nano University of Central Florida).
Nonsurgical Test Developed for Brain Cancer
SSpecific microribonucleic acids on prior knowledge about their
(miRNAs) that are present in expression profiles in normal brain
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can serve as versus various brain cancers and
biomarkers for particular brain malig- other tissues. Moreover, important
nancies and disease activity. pleiotropic roles of their top candi-
The level of individual microRNAs dates miR-10b and miR-21 in glioma-
can be assayed in CSF and could help genesis are well established.
identify glioblastoma and metastatic The investigators concluded that
brain cancers, and reflect disease are several advantages of using
activity and response to therapy. miRNAs as biomarkers for brain can-
Scientists at Brigham and Women’s cer compared with other biomarkers,
Hospital (Boston MA, USA; www. such as messenger RNA (mRNA) and
brighamandwomens.org) studied proteins. MiRNAs are highly stable,
118 patients with different types of and their detection by qRT-PCR is
brain cancers and showed that quantitative, extremely sensitive,
miRNA profiling of CSF can be used requiring only nanograms of starting
to determine the presence of glioblas- RNA material, highly specific, and
toma, the most common and lethal reproducible. The same process can be
type of brain tumor. The test utilizes used to detect the presence of cancer
miRNAs, which are tiny RNA mole- that started in another part of the body
cules that provide excellent biomark- and spread to the brain, and further-
ers for various conditions, and whose more, the process can also be used to
levels can be accurately measured in monitor the tumor as it is treated.
body fluids simply and inexpensively. Anna M. Krichevsky, PhD, the prin-
The levels of individual miRNAs cipal author, said, “We are excited
in CSF and tumors were determined about the potential that this test has to
by TaqMan miRNA assays from ease the process of detecting and mon-
Applied Biosystems (Carlsbad, CA, itoring brain tumors. The test needs to
USA; www.appliedbiosystems.com). be further developed before it is used in
Total RNA was used in 6 µL reverse a clinical setting, but I expect it could
transcription (RT) reactions with spe- be particularly valuable for patients
cific miRNA RT probes, prior to who are not surgical candidates due to
TaqMan real time polymerase chain the tumor’s size or location, or due to
reactions (qRT-PCR), that were per- an underlying medical condition.” The
formed in duplicates. The scientists study was published on April 4, 2012,
chose a few candidate miRNAs based in the journal Neuro-Oncology.
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