(Press-News.org) A new research report published in the October 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal may make the early detection of cancer as easy as a simple blood test. This test, called the "lymphocyte genome sensitivity" (LGS) test, could not only detect some cancers earlier than ever before, but it may eliminate the need for some types of biopsies, as well as identify those more likely to develop cancer in the future.
"The test could allow earlier cancer detection, so helping to save peoples' lives," said Diana Anderson, a researcher involved in the work from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Bradford in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
To develop this test, Anderson and colleagues took blood samples from a group of people that included healthy individuals, cancer patients and people believed to be at a higher risk than normal to develop cancer. White blood cells (lymphocytes) in these samples were examined in a Comet test, by embedding the cells in a jelly-like substance, called agar, on a microscope slide. In this test, damage to the genetic material (DNA) of the cells was caused by treatment with ultraviolet (UVA) light. This damage was observed in the form of DNA pieces being pulled within the agar in an electric field toward the positive end of the field. This caused a comet-like tail, and the longer the tail the more DNA damage. Different thicknesses of the agar were applied to the slides. In healthy people, as different thicknesses were added, DNA-damaged tail responses returned to normal levels. In cancer patients, DNA-damaged tail responses remained high and in those people who might develop pre-cancerous diseases, tail responses were in between. This means that people with cancer have DNA which is more easily damaged by UVA than do other people, so the test shows the sensitivity to damage of all the genome in a cell. The LGS test has been used to examine blood samples from cancer patients with melanoma, colon cancer and lung cancer, and all gave the same outcomes.
"A blood test to detect cancer and determine one's risk for cancer is a game-changer," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "A test like this – which is sophisticated in design and simple to perform - could make effective cancer screening available in places where traditional medical technology might not be available."
INFORMATION:
Receive monthly highlights from The FASEB Journal by e-mail. Sign up at http://www.faseb.org/fjupdate.aspx. The FASEB Journal is published by the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). It is the world's most cited biology journal according to the Institute for Scientific Information and has been recognized by the Special Libraries Association as one of the top 100 most influential biomedical journals of the past century.
FASEB is composed of 27 societies with more than 120,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States. Our mission is to advance health and welfare by promoting progress and education in biological and biomedical sciences through service to our member societies and collaborative advocacy.
Details
Diana Anderson, Mojgan Najafzadeh, Rajendran Gopalan, Nader Ghaderi, Andrew J. Scally, Stephen T. Britland, Badie K. Jacobs, P. Dominic Reynolds, Justin Davies, Andrew L. Wright, Shariff Al-Ghazal, David Sharpe, and Morgan C. Denyer. Sensitivity and specificity of the empirical lymphocyte genome sensitivity (LGS) assay: implications for improving cancer diagnostics. FASEB J. fj.14-254748; doi:10.1096/fj.14-254748 ; http://www.fasebj.org/content/28/10/4563.abstract
New blood test determines whether you have or are likely to get cancer
New research in The FASEB Journal suggests that white blood cells exposed to UVA light in agar, to induce DNA damage, can predict if one has or is at risk for cancer
2014-09-30
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Tropical Storm Rachel dwarfed by developing system 90E
2014-09-30
Tropical Storm Rachel is spinning down west of Mexico's Baja California, and another tropical low pressure area developing off the coast of southwestern Mexico dwarfs the tropical storm. NOAA's GOES-West satellite showed the size difference between the two tropical low pressure areas.
NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured an image of the Eastern Pacific Ocean on Sept. 30 at 1200 UTC (8 a.m. EDT). In the infrared image, Tropical Storm Rachel appeared small in comparison to the low pressure area called System 90E, coming together hundreds of miles south. As Rachel spins down ...
Virginia Tech researchers discover potential biomarker to detect 'bubble boy' disorder
2014-09-30
Many people recognize "the bubble boy" as an unusual character from a "Seinfeld" episode or a John Travolta movie.
But in reality, a genetic disease called SCID, short for severe combined immunodeficiency, forces patients to breathe filtered air and avoid human contact because their bodies' natural defenses are too weak to fight germs.
Although it affects fewer than 2,000 new births each year worldwide, SCID is a cousin to acquired immune deficiency syndrome triggered by a human immunodeficiency virus — HIV/AIDS.
Now, using a mouse model, Virginia Tech researchers ...
NASA's TRMM satellite sees Tropical Storm Phanfone fragmented
2014-09-30
The bands of thunderstorms wrapping around Tropical Storm Phanfone in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean appeared fragmented to NASA's TRMM satellite.
On Sept. 30, a typhoon watch remains in effect for the far northern Marianas Islands including Pagan and Alamagan. Tropical storm warnings have been cancelled for Tinian and Saipan, but remain in effect for Pagan, Alamagan and surrounding waters. A flash flood watch remains in effect for the island of Saipan. For updated forecasts for these islands, visit the U.S. National Weather Service Office's Guam website: http://www.prh.noaa.gov/guam/cyclone.php.
On ...
A heartbeat away? Hybrid 'patch' could replace transplants
2014-09-30
Because heart cells cannot multiply and cardiac muscles contain few stem cells, heart tissue is unable to repair itself after a heart attack. Now Tel Aviv University researchers are literally setting a new gold standard in cardiac tissue engineering.
Dr. Tal Dvir and his graduate student Michal Shevach of TAU's Department of Biotechnology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, have been developing sophisticated micro- and nanotechnological tools — ranging in size from one millionth to one billionth of a meter — ...
In stickleback fish, dads influence offspring behavior and gene expression
2014-09-30
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Researchers report that some stickleback fish fathers can have long-term effects on the behavior of their offspring: The most attentive fish dads cause their offspring to behave in a way that makes them less susceptible to predators. These behavioral changes are accompanied by changes in gene expression, the researchers report.
The findings appear in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
"There is lots of evidence that moms are very important for their offspring," said University of Illinois animal biology professor Alison Bell, ...
How career dreams are born
2014-09-30
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study shows just what it takes to convince a person that she is qualified to achieve the career of her dreams.
Researchers found that it's not enough to tell people they have the skills or the grades to make their goal a reality.
Instead, many people need a more vivid and detailed description of just how pursuing their dream career will help make them successful.
This is especially important for people who have the skills and potential to pursue a particular career, but lack the self-confidence, said Patrick Carroll, author of the study and ...
Chemical interactions between silver nanoparticles and thiols: A comparison of mercaptohexanol again
2014-09-30
Silver nanoparticles are well known for their anti-bacteria properties[1-4]. One of the main routes by which they may act as an anti-bacteria agent, is through attaching themselves to the thiol group present on the cellular membrane surface and hence disrupting the membrane's function[5]. Hence, it is crucial to gain a greater understanding of this complex silver-thiol interaction to determine silver nanoparticles' role in biological systems. With thiols, silver nanoparticles have been proposed to form various types of compounds with different structures[6-8]. One of the ...
Gender equality leads to more Olympic medals for men and women
2014-09-30
Gender equality boosts a country's Olympic medal count for both women and men, shows a new study from the University of British Columbia.
Drawing data from the World Economic Forum's 2013 Global Gender Gap Report, researchers compared a country's tendency toward sexual equality with its medal counts from the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
Countries with greater parity – particularly for measures of educational equality – had more women and men reach the podium.
"Our study makes apparent that gender equality has a tendency to lift ...
New learning mechanism for individual nerve cells
2014-09-30
The traditional view is that learning is based on the strengthening or weakening of the contacts between the nerve cells in the brain. However, this has been challenged by new research findings from Lund University in Sweden. These indicate that there is also a third mechanism – a kind of clock function that gives individual nerve cells the ability to time their reactions.
"This means a dramatic increase in the brain's learning capacity. The cells we have studied control the blink reflex, but there are many cells of the same type that control entirely different processes. ...
Erectile dysfunction drugs could affect vision of genetically susceptible users
2014-09-30
Sildenafil, the active ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra®, could cause unusual visual responses in people who carry a common mutation for eye disease and may have long-term detrimental effects on their vision, UNSW Australia researchers warn.
Sildenafil can inhibit an enzyme which is important for transmitting light signals from the retina to the brain, and it is already known from clinical trials of Viagra® that its use in high doses can cause transient disturbances in the vision of some healthy people.
"Side effects can include sensitivity to bright ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Study highlights increased risk of second cancers among breast cancer survivors
International DNA Day launch for Hong Kong’s Moonshot for Biology
New scientific resources map food components to improve human and environmental health
Mass General Brigham research identifies pitfalls and opportunities for generative artificial intelligence in patient messaging systems
Opioids during pregnancy not linked to substantially increased risk of psychiatric disorders in children
Universities and schools urged to ban alcohol industry-backed health advice
From Uber ratings to credit scores: What’s lost in a society that counts and sorts everything?
Political ‘color’ affects pollution control spending in the US
Managing meandering waterways in a changing world
Expert sounds alarm as mosquito-borne diseases becoming a global phenomenon in a warmer more populated world
Climate change is multiplying the threat caused by antimicrobial resistance
UK/German study - COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and fewer common side-effects most important factors in whether adults choose to get vaccinated
New ultraviolet light air disinfection technology could help protect against healthcare infections and even the next pandemic
Major genetic meta-analysis reveals how antibiotic resistance in babies varies according to mode of birth, prematurity, and where they live
Q&A: How TikTok’s ‘black box’ algorithm and design shape user behavior
American Academy of Arts and Sciences elects three NYU faculty as 2024 fellows
A closed-loop drug-delivery system could improve chemotherapy
MIT scientists tune the entanglement structure in an array of qubits
Geologists discover rocks with the oldest evidence yet of Earth’s magnetic field
It’s easier now to treat opioid addiction with medication -- but use has changed little
Researchers publish final results of key clinical trial for gene therapy for sickle cell disease
Identifying proteins causally related to COVID-19, healthspan and lifespan
New study reveals how AI can enhance flexibility, efficiency for customer service centers
UT School of Natural Resources team receives grant to remove ‘forever chemicals’ from water
Sweet potato quality analysis is enhanced with hyperspectral imaging and AI
Use of acid reflux drugs linked to higher risk of migraine
For immigrants to Canada, risk of MS increases with proportion of life spent there
Targeted use of enfortumab vedotin for the treatment of advanced urothelial carcinoma
A university lecture, with a dash of jumping jacks
How light can vaporize water without the need for heat
[Press-News.org] New blood test determines whether you have or are likely to get cancerNew research in The FASEB Journal suggests that white blood cells exposed to UVA light in agar, to induce DNA damage, can predict if one has or is at risk for cancer