New device uses simple blood test to detect early stages of lung cancer

Scientists from the University of Queensland have designed a device that uses a simple blood test to detect early-stage lung cancer.

Dr Richard Lobb and Quan Zhou, from the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at UQ, said the diagnostic device could help patients start treatment and prevent the spread of the disease.

“Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in Australia, with almost 9,000 people dying from it each year,” Dr Lobb said.

“Despite the commonness of the disease, the initial detection and screening process can be lengthy and expensive, involving scans, imaging tests and biopsy procedures.

“The technology we have developed is non-invasive and allows for the detection of very small lung cancer nodules, which allows for the detection of the disease at an early stage.”

The nanodevice analyzes a patient’s blood sample for a specific biomarker – sugars coating tiny messenger particles called extracellular vesicles (EVs).

“These sugar molecules, or glycans, make excellent biomarkers because the sugar code in a cancer cell is different from the code in a normal cell,” Dr. Lobb said.

“Just a drop of blood can alert doctors to the presence of small lung cancer nodules, allowing intervention while the disease is still in its early stages,” Dr Lobb said.

A clinical trial involving 40 patients showed that this technology effectively distinguished patients with early malignant lung nodules from patients with benign lung nodules.

The results show the potential of using EV glycogens to noninvasively diagnose other diseases. This device and a simple blood test could help doctors step in before more intensive scans, treatments or treatment regimens are needed.”

Quan Zhou, Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, UQ

The nanodevice was designed in the lab of ARC laureate and AIBN Senior Group Leader Professor Matt Trau, with input from AIBN scientists Xueming Niu, Dr Alain Wuethrich and Dr Zhen Zhang.

The research work was published in the journal Advanced Science.