Canada (Commonwealth Union)_ According to researchers, urine tests are effective, easy, and non-invasive since urine includes several key biomolecules that may be tested to diagnose the condition. According to the research, using nanowires at the bottom of a well plate, the research team has created a new analytic platform to detect brain tumor EVs. Using this equipment, scientists found two distinct kinds of EV membrane proteins, called CD31 and CD63, in urine samples from patients with brain tumors.
This device identified the crucial membrane protein in urine that tells if a patient has a brain tumor. According to the findings, this technique might eliminate the need for invasive testing and enhance the likelihood of tumors to be diagnosed early enough for surgical removal. According to the study, the research undertaken by a team of scientists may also potentially diagnose other forms of cancer. Further, the study was published in the ACS Nano journal.
Although early identification of many forms of cancer has led to recent progress in cancer survival rates, there has been no improvement in the survival rate of brain tumors for more than two decades. This is mainly because of the late discovery of the disease. Generally, physicians detect brain tumors following neurological symptoms, such as loss of movement or speech. However, by the time they detect the disease, the tumor will have grown to a significant size. According to the study, detecting the tumor while it is still tiny and beginning therapy immediately will help save lives.
The study revealed that the presence of tumor-related extracellular vesicles (EVs) in a person’s urine was identified as a probable indicator of a brain tumor in that person. EVs are nano-sized vesicles with several functions, including intercellular communication. According to the study, as these EVs identified in brain cancer patients include certain forms of RNA and membrane proteins, they can also be utilized to detect the existence of cancer and its progression.
According to the study, although they are expelled far from the brain, some EVs from cancer cells remain stable and are excreted in the urine unchanged. According to Associate Professor Takao Yasui of the Nagoya University Graduate School of Engineering, ”Urine testing has many advantages”. He added, ”Liquid biopsies can be performed using many body fluids, but blood tests are invasive. Urine tests are an effective, simple, and non-invasive method because the urine contains many informative biomolecules that can be traced back to identify the disease”.
People with a brain tumor may exhibit the following signs and symptoms. A symptom is something that can only be identified and described by the one experiencing it, such as weariness, nausea, or discomfort. A sign is anything that may be observed and measured by others, such as a fever, rash, or increased heart rate. Together, symptoms and signs can help explain a medical condition. Further, with the help of this new technique, scientists detected two distinct kinds of EV membrane proteins, called CD31 and CD63, in the urine of patients with brain tumors. According to the study, identifying these proteins early might help physicians detect cancer patients before the onset of symptoms.
Yasui said, ”Currently, EV isolation and detection methods require more than two instruments and an assay to isolate and then detect EVs. The all-in-one nanowire assay can isolate and detect EVs using one simple procedure. In the future, users can run samples through our assay and change the detection part, by selectively modifying it to detect specific membrane proteins or miRNAs inside EVs to detect other types of cancer”. He added, ”Using this platform, we expect to advance the analysis of the expression levels of specific membrane proteins in patients’ urinary EVs, which will enable the early detection of different types of cancer”.
