Kerri Fitzgerald

DocwireNews

A study published in&nbsp;Nature&nbsp;indicates&nbsp;that a&nbsp;10-minute test can detect the presence of cancer cells&nbsp;throughout the body.&nbsp;Researchers from the&nbsp;University of Queensland&nbsp;discovered a&nbsp;unique DNA nanostructure that&nbsp;may be common across cancer types, thus serving as a universal cancer biomarker.&nbsp;Cancer alters the DNA of healthy cells, particularly in the distribution of&nbsp;methyl groups. This&nbsp;test detects these&nbsp;altered patterns&nbsp;when placed in a solution such as water.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Wonderful news. We&rsquo;re just about (I think? Doubtless someone will correct me if not!) to become the first UK NHS lab to share all our anonymised variant data with Clinvar (IG approval last week, long slog!) &ndash; fantastic resource saving and improving lives worldwide. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OpenData?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OpenData</a> <a href="https://t.co/SI4Fb2H9mY">https://t.co/SI4Fb2H9mY</a>
&mdash; Ian Berry (@LaughingGenome) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaughingGenome/status/1070271469568098304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2018</a>
</blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>&nbsp;&ldquo;The levels and patterns of tiny molecules called methyl groups that decorate DNA are altered dramatically by cancer &ndash; these methyl groups are key for cells to control which genes are turned on and off,&rdquo; the authors noted in a press release.&nbsp;The test uses gold particles&nbsp;that&nbsp;bind with&nbsp;DNA affected by cancer and change color to alert researchers that cancer DNA are present.&nbsp;&nbsp;<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Interesting article making the news: Epigenetically reprogrammed methylation landscape drives the DNA self-assembly and serves as a universal cancer biomarker | Nature Communications <a href="https://t.co/apIr3nxfyE">https://t.co/apIr3nxfyE</a>
&mdash; John Campbell (@Synthon61) <a href="https://twitter.com/Synthon61/status/1070255533444251651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2018</a>
</blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>The test has not been conducted in humans nor in large clinical trials. However, the researchers tested more than 200 tissue and blood samples,&nbsp;and the test detected cancerous cells with 90% accuracy. The test has been used in&nbsp;breast&nbsp;cancer, prostate&nbsp;cancer, bowel&nbsp;cancer,&nbsp;and lymphoma, but the researchers believe it will be useful in other cancers.&nbsp;Test analysis takes 10 minutes or less and requires minimal sample preparation and small DNA input, according to the researchers.&nbsp;They also say the device is portable and inexpensive.&nbsp;<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Epigenetically reprogrammed methylation landscape drives the DNA self-assembly and serves as a universal cancer biomarker. <a href="https://twitter.com/NatureComms?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NatureComms</a> <a href="https://t.co/iDQv1i4nJm">https://t.co/iDQv1i4nJm</a>
&mdash; Progress in Preventive Medicine (@ProgPrevMed) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProgPrevMed/status/1070002386192818176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2018</a>
</blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>The researchers plan to further evaluate the test in clinical studies, as well as&nbsp;look&nbsp;into the possibility of using different bodily fluids to detect different cancer types.&nbsp;<a href="https://proddocwire.wpengine.com/hematology-oncology/fda-approves-blood-compatibility/">FDA approves DNA test for blood compatibility.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://proddocwire.wpengine.com/hematology-oncology/liquid-biopsy-test/">FDA grants breakthrough designation for liquid biopsy test to detect cancers.</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://proddocwire.wpengine.com/docwire-pick/a-simple-blood-test-for-melanoma-detection/">Can a simple blood test detect melanoma?</a>&nbsp;Source:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07214-w">Nature</a>

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Can a 10-Minute Test Detect Cancer?

Oncology

A study published in Nature indicates that a 10-minute test can detect the presence of cancer cells throughout the body. Researchers from the University of ...

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