Using a new technology developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, diagnosing lung cancer can become easy “by inhaling extremely small nanoparticles before conducting a urine test, to discover whether there is a cancerous tumor or not,” according to the results of a recent study published on Friday. In the journal Science Advances.
According to the study, the new diagnosis relies on nano-sensors that can be connected via an inhaler or via a nebulizer. If these sensors detect forms of proteins whose faces are linked to the presence of cancerous tumors in the lungs, they produce chemical signals that accumulate in the urine, so they can be easily detected using a simple paper test strip.
This new and simple approach is expected to replace the current technical method for diagnosing lung cancer, which is low-dose computed tomography (CT). Or at least it works as a complementary method, which the study researchers commented by saying: “The new discovery could have a significant impact, especially in low- and middle-income countries where CT scanners are not widely available.”
“We are pushing this test to be available in medical care settings in low-resource settings, just being able to put the sample directly on some type of paper,” said lead study author Sangeeta Bhatia, a professor of health sciences and technology at MIT and a member of the Koch Institute for Cancer Research. allocated for this purpose, then know the results within 20 minutes.”
Bhatia has spent the past decade developing nanosensors for use in diagnosing cancer and other diseases. In this study, she and her colleagues explored the possibility of using it as a more convenient alternative to CT screening for lung cancer.
These sensors consist of polymeric nanoparticles coated with a reporter, such as a DNA barcode, which separates from the particle when the sensor encounters an enzyme that is often overactive in cases of metastatic tumors. These reporters eventually accumulate in the urine.
Previous versions of the sensors, which targeted other cancer sites such as the liver and ovary, were designed to be administered intravenously. For lung cancer diagnosis, the researchers wanted to create a version that could be inhaled.
“When we developed this technology, our goal was to provide a method that can detect cancer with a high degree of specificity and sensitivity,” said Qian Zhong, one of the study’s researchers and a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “We hope to improve the disparities and inequalities in resources related to early detection of lung cancer.” .
To achieve this, during the new study, the researchers created two formulations of their molecules, to produce a solution that can be pumped using a nebulizer, and a dry powder that can be delivered using an inhaler.
The researchers designed the strips to detect up to 4 different DNA barcodes, and no processing of the urine sample is required, and the results can be read about 20 minutes after obtaining the sample. During the study, the researchers also tested their diagnostic system on genetically modified mice to develop lung tumors similar to those that appear in humans, and the sensors were used 7.5 weeks after the tumors began to form, a time point that is likely associated with only the first or second stage of cancer in humans.
Using a machine learning algorithm to analyze these results, during the study, researchers identified a set of 4 sensors that were expected to give accurate diagnostic results. They then tested this combination in a mouse model. They found that it can accurately detect lung tumors in the early stages.
For use in humans, it is possible that more sensors would be needed to make an accurate diagnosis, but this could be achieved using multiple paper strips, each of which detects 4 different DNA barcodes, the researchers said.
The researchers now plan to analyze human biopsy samples to see if the sensor panels they are using will also work to detect human cancer. In the long term, they hope to conduct clinical trials in human patients. A company called Sunbird Bio has already conducted phase I trials on a similar sensor developed by Bhatia’s lab, for use in diagnosing liver cancer and a form of hepatitis known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
Returning to Bhatia, she said, “The idea is that you get an answer as to whether you need a follow-up test or not, and we can bring patients with early lesions into the health system so that they can get curative surgery or life-saving medications.”
