Scientists are hopeful they can identify earlier detection of lung cancer after creating an injectable sensor that releases a compound into urine.
Developed by University of Cambridge scientists, the test, which identifies ‘zombie’ cells that can clear a path for cancers to emerge, is the first of its kind anywhere in the world.
Researchers behind the technology, led by Professor Ljiljana Fruk and Dr Daniel Munoz Espin are hopeful this early detection can get patients treatments sooner, giving them a better chance of overcoming the disease.
The research so far has proved that the urine test works in mice, and soon hope to begin trialling it in humans.
A grant of £88,000 helped Cancer Research formulate the findings which happened across the University of Cambridge’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology and new Early Cancer Institute.
The senescent (a scientific term that means ‘old’) cells the urine test is designed to spot are often referred to as ‘zombie’ cells. Although the cells aren’t quite dead, they can’t grow and divide the way living cells are supposed to.
When senescent cells accumulate in one place, they have the ability to remodel their environment which can make it easier for cancerous cells to grow and divide uncontrollably.
Professor Fruk said the researchers identified a specific protein released by the cells in lung tissue and designed a probe that is split into two pieces in its presence.
“We know that before cancer emerges there are changes in the affected tissues,” he told Press Association.
“One of the changes is the accumulation of damaged cells that are not damaged enough to be removed, but enough to release signals that reprogram the tissue and make it perfect for cancer development.”
The test begins with an injection that introduces the probe or sensor in the body which is then cut in two by the target protein, this sees the smaller part travel to the kidney and is then released through the bladder in urine.
The second part of the test makes the probe visible in urine. Scientists ‘develop’ urine samples by adding a silver solution that was once commonly used in analogue photography, causing them to change colour.
“By monitoring the colour of urine after the injection of the probe we can say if cells are present in lungs that would indicate the early signs of pathological changes that might lead to cancer,” Professor Fruk added.
This development has the potential to identify lung cancers months or even years before they start to cause symptoms. This may make it possible to cure the disease without the need for surgery.
The urine test is also a cheaper alternative to scans, which are now helping find more lung cancer cases earlier as part of a new targeted lung cancer screening programme in England.
If successful, researchers are hopeful of exploring ways of using the same technology for other cancer types, including breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and the skin cancer melanoma.