Using New Biomarkers to Achieve Earlier Cancer Diagnosis
No matter what the type of cancer, a patient’s probability for successful treatment improves the earlier the disease is identified. This fact has led cancer researchers to spend a considerable amount of time trying to identify new methods that point to the manifestation of cancer as quickly as possible.
One such method of early diagnosis is achieved by looking for biomarkers. Biomarkers are unique molecules, such as proteins, that are produced by cancer cells or as a result of tumor growth. Searching for these biomarkers, however, is often like looking for a needle in the haystack. Normal body proteins, such as albumin, often blanket the sheer minuteness of such cancer proteins in the body during the early stages of cancer.
Previous attempts to strip albumin and other normal proteins from blood samples while leaving cancer proteins in tact have historically proven unsuccessful. However, a new technique overcomes this issue by baiting the pertinent proteins and drawing them away from the larger pool of blood proteins.
The process, which was developed by the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine at George Mason University, involves using a smart polymer gel that sifts through blood samples and accurately identifies trace amounts of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). PDGF is a biomarker that is produced as new blood vessels form to feed a growing tumor.
The new procedure has been proven to detect small levels of PDGF that were previously impossible. The result is a potentially new procedure that could lead to the earlier detection of numerous types of cancer.
