Spanish researchers have made a breakthrough that could enable cancer to be detected within hours, using cheap and easy mobile testing kits, and opening up the possibility of important diagnosis advances in the developing world, due to the simplicity.
The findings from the scientists from Barcelona’s Centre for Genomic Regulation have shown that nanotechnology can be used to analyse ribonucleic acid (RNA) present in ordinary blood samples and detect abnormalities indicating the existence of certain cancers.
The new technique involves passing RNA molecules through tiny pores in a membrane causing measurable alterations in an electrical current, reports The Telegraph.
“Our aim is to further develop this technology and combine it with artificial intelligence tools to determine the malignancy of a biological sample in under three hours, and at a cost of no more than 50 euros per sample,” said Dr Eva Novoa, senior author of the study and researcher at the Centre for Genomic Regulation.
The nanopore sequencing machines required for the technique are small, lightweight and can be powered by a laptop or portable battery, making them easy to transport to remote locations and enabling their use in the field or clinic.
“This is very affordable technology and so it brings opportunities to take sequencing to the field,” said Novoa, noting that in the case of cancer, it is possible not only to detect its presence, but also how advanced the disease is without a biopsy requiring a lab test.
So far, the team has worked on the detection of lymphoma, breast and bowel cancers, but the technique is likely to also be useful in detecting other diseases.
‘Exciting, information-rich’ technique
RNA molecules are present in all living cells, with different types of RNA having different jobs.
The research team works with transfer RNA (tRNA), which links a messenger RNA sequence with its corresponding amino acid, ensuring that proteins are stitched together correctly as instructed by DNA.
tRNAs are considered “information-rich” molecules with huge potential for the diagnosis of diseases. Incorrectly sequenced tRNA is known to be a biomarker for various human diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions and cancer.
But until now, analysing tRNA molecules to search for such irregularities has required complex and costly methods, taking weeks to provide a result.
“For the first time, we can study both tRNA abundance and tRNA modification profiles simultaneously,” said Novoa.
As well as creating diagnostic tests for diseases, she said that the nanopore sequencing technique will open many avenues of research with tRNA, examining how the molecules are affected by different diseases and drugs, and looking at the potential to use tRNA in future therapies.
“This technique will be very useful. I am really excited,” she said.
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