Liquid Biopsy Enhances Cancer Detection

A study team from the University of Rochester is describing a novel “liquid biopsy” technique for cancer cell detection that is intended to be easier, quicker, and more informative than existing techniques.

A liquid biopsy: what is it? It is a non-invasive test that looks for cancer cells or other chemicals generated by tumors using blood, urine, and other body fluids. A liquid biopsy can be used to test for or identify cancer, track the disease’s course, and track the body’s reaction to cancer treatment.

James McGrath, PhD, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Biomedical Engineering at UR and a member of the Wilmot Cancer Institute scientific team, spearheaded a cooperation to create a technique for collecting biological material (genes and proteins) known as extracellular vesicles. Selecting and studying EVs yields useful information about disorders in the body.

Despite the excitement and long-standing potential in this subject, the challenge has been determining the optimal method for analyzing the “bioactive cargo” in EVs and developing an accurate biopsy tool.

Researchers describe present approaches as costly, difficult, and limiting because they do not allow scientists to study several biomarkers at the same time.

The UR imaging-based technique uses a digital approach and has been shown in preliminary testing to be more sensitive as it sorts hundreds of thousands of EVs. Researchers think it can detect cancer at earlier, more treatable stages and shed light on the role of EVs in cancer spread and immune system response.

Their findings are published in the nanoscience and nanotechnology journal Small, with Samuel Walker, a biomedical engineering student, serving as the first author.

Furthermore, Jonathan Flax, MD, a research assistant professor in Urology, and Scott Gerber, PhD, associate professor of Surgery and cancer investigator at Wilmot, are working together to identify EV-based biomarkers that can be used to determine whether immunotherapy is effective against cancer.

Future plans include using the new tool in clinical research to guide results of treatment-based clinical trials, McGrath said.

Source: University of Rochester Medical Center