Scientists have developed a saliva test that screens for breast cancer, which they say is showing promising results in experimental testing, and could revolutionise public health practices.
The new hand-held device detects breast cancer biomarkers from a tiny sample of spit, said the researchers from the University of Florida and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan, who published their findings in the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B.
“Imagine medical staff conducting breast cancer screening in communities or hospitals,” said Hsiao-Hsuan Wan, a UF doctoral student in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the study’s lead author. “Our device is an excellent choice because it is portable – about the size of your hand – and reusable. The testing time is under five seconds per sample, which makes it highly efficient.”
Newswise reports that the tool works by placing a saliva sample on a test strip, which is treated with specific antibodies that respond to cancer biomarkers. Electrical impulses are sent to contact points on the biosensor device.
Signals are measured and translated into digital information about how much biomarker is present. The results are quick and easy to interpret, Wan said.
During testing, the device distinguished between healthy breast tissue, early breast cancer, and advanced breast cancer in a small group of 21 women. Their biosensor design uses common components like glucose testing strips and the open-source hardware-software platform Arduino.
Study details
High sensitivity saliva-based biosensor in detection of breast cancer biomarkers: HER2 and CA15-3
Hsiao-Hsuan Wan, Haochen Zhu, Stephen Pearton, et al.
Published in Vacuum Science & Technology B on 13 February 2022
Abstract
The prevalence of breast cancer in women underscores the urgent need for innovative and efficient detection methods. This study addresses this imperative by harnessing salivary biomarkers, offering a non-invasive and accessible means of identifying breast cancer. In this study, commercially available disposable based strips similar to the commonly used glucose detection strips were utilised and functionalised to detect breast cancer with biomarkers of HER2 and CA15-3. The results demonstrated limits of detection for these two biomarkers reached as low as 1 fg/ml, much lower than those of conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the range of 1∼4 ng/ml. By employing a synchronised double-pulse method to apply 10 of 1.2 ms voltage pulses to the electrode of sensing strip and drain electrode of the transistor for amplifying the detected signal, and the detected signal was the average of 10 digital output readings corresponding to those 10 voltage pulses. The sensor sensitivities were achieved approximately 70/dec and 30/dec for HER2 and CA15-3, respectively. Moreover, the efficiency of this novel technique is underscored by its swift testing time of less than 15 ms and its minimal sample requirement of only 3 μl of saliva. The simplicity of operation and the potential for widespread public use in the future position this approach as a transformative tool in the early detection of breast cancer. This research not only provides a crucial advancement in diagnostic methodologies but also holds the promise of revolutionising public health practices.
Newswise article – Detecting breast cancer through a spit test (Open access)
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