PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Scientists make your stomach turn bright green if you have an ulcer

2014-01-08
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Birgitte Svennevig
birs@sdu.dk
University of Southern Denmark
Scientists make your stomach turn bright green if you have an ulcer

Doctors may soon be able to diagnose stomach ulcers without taking tissue samples from the stomach. Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark now report to have developed a new, safer and noninvasive diagnostic technique for ulcers. The trick is to make the ulcer-causing bacteria in the gut light up in fluorescent green.

Each year, many patients are examined for ulcers, and this is often done by retrieving a tissue sample from the stomach. This requires that the doctor sends an instrument down into the patient´s stomach, and the patient must wait for the tissue sample to be analyzed before the doctor can give information about a possible ulcer.

Now researchers from University of Southern Denmark are developing a diagnostic technique that makes it possible to detect the ulcer instantly. It shortens the patient's unease and it improves the doctor's opportunity for early diagnosis.

"Early diagnosis does not only prevent ulcers from developing, it can also prevent the development of cancer", says Ph.D. student Silvia Fontenete from the Nucleic Acid Center at the University of Southern Denmark/Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, University of Porto in Portugal. She is the lead author of an article on the research results in journals PLOS ONE.

Ulcers are often caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori, which produces ulcers in the stomach or duodenum. Usually the doctor retrieves a tissue sample from the stomach and has it analyzed. You can also take a breath test, where molecules in the patient's breath are analyzed, but this technique is not always reliable, says Silvia Fontenete.

Scientists have for some time been able to make tissue samples from the stomach glow fluorescent green if the tissue is infected with H. pylori bacteria. For this the scientist will need to retrieve a piece of the stomach for analysis in the laboratory.

The researchers' new approach is to make the stomach glow bright fluorescent green WITHOUT taking tissue samples from it.

"Our laboratory experiments suggest that one day it will be possible for doctors to send some specially designed molecules down in the stomach, where they will make H. pylori glow brightly green", explains Silvia Fontenete.

To see the green light the doctor will send a small micro-camera into the stomach.

The scientists report to have made H. pylori glow green in artificial tissue in the laboratory - this was tissue that mimics the lining of the human stomach.

"We believe that the same can happen in a real human stomach", says Silvia Fontenete.

To achieve their results, the researchers had to overcome two major challenges: The first challenge was to create the special molecules that can both detect H. pylori bacteria and function at approx. 37 degrees Celsius, which is the temperature of the human stomach. The second challenge was that the molecule should be able to function in the extremely acidic environment of the stomach.

Both challenges were solved by working with the so-called Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA), some special synthetic molecules developed by Silvia Fontenente's research director, Professor Jesper Wengel at University of Southern Denmark. LNA are artificial RNA-like molecules which can bind to microRNA molecules. They are extremely stable and can operate at lower temperatures and in more acidic environments than other molecules.

"We have been lucky: The first molecules I created turned out to do the job right away. I could have been more unfortunate, and it would have taken several years", says Silvia Fontenete.

INFORMATION:

Contact Professor Jesper Wengel
Nucleic Acid Center
Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Email: jwe@sdu.dk
Phone: + 45 65502510 and +45 20846872

Photo of Silvia Fontenete Credit: Birgitte Svennevig/SDU

This press release was written by press officer Birgitte Svennevig.

Ref: Fontenete, Sílvia; Guimarães, Nuno; Leite, Marina; Figueiredo, Céu; Wengel, Jesper; Azevedo, Nuno Filipe. Hybridization based detection of Helicobacter pylori at human body temperature using advanced locked nucleic acid (LNA) probes. PLOS ONE (2013), 8(11).



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Does the body's immune response to viral vector delivery systems affect the safety or efficacy of gene therapy?

2014-01-08
Does the body's immune response to viral vector delivery systems affect the safety or efficacy of gene therapy? New Rochelle, NY, January 7, 2014—Packaging replacement genes in viruses is an effective method to deliver them to target ...

Research reveals new therapeutic target for Huntington's disease

2014-01-08
Research reveals new therapeutic target for Huntington's disease

Geography has impact on grapevine moth's success in French vineyards

2014-01-08
Geography has impact on grapevine moth's success in French vineyards Study sheds light on how regional differences, local temperatures influence immune function of pests 'Location, location, location' is an adage also true for the European grapevine moth, it seems. Research ...

Laundering money -- literally -- could save billions of dollars

2014-01-08
Laundering money -- literally -- could save billions of dollars A dollar bill gets around, passing from hand to hand, falling on streets and sidewalks, eventually getting so grimy that a bank machine flags it and sends it to the shredder. Rather than destroying ...

Newly discovered celestial object defies categories

2014-01-08
Newly discovered celestial object defies categories Scientists asking if it is a new kind of planet or a rare kind of failed star TORONTO, ON – An object discovered by astrophysicists at the University of Toronto (U of T) nearly 500 light years away from the Sun ...

Metal ink could ease the way toward flexible electronic books, displays

2014-01-08
Metal ink could ease the way toward flexible electronic books, displays Scientists are reporting the development of a novel metal ink made of small sheets of copper that can be used to write a functioning, flexible electric circuit on regular printer paper. ...

Green space can make people happier for years

2014-01-08
Green space can make people happier for years Nearly 10 years after the term "nature deficit disorder" entered the nation's vocabulary, research is showing for the first time that green space does appear to improve mental health in a sustained way. The report, ...

Top chemical advances and more from the year 2013

2014-01-08
Top chemical advances and more from the year 2013 From stretchy electronics to Martian chemistry, the most notable advances in the chemical world in 2013 appear in the year-in-review issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the ...

AML score that combines genetic and epigenetic changes might help guide therapy

2014-01-08
AML score that combines genetic and epigenetic changes might help guide therapy COLUMBUS, Ohio – Currently, doctors use chromosome markers and gene mutations to determine the best treatment for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). ...

Cosmetic outcomes after breast-conserving therapy may vary by race

2014-01-08
Cosmetic outcomes after breast-conserving therapy may vary by race Subjective ratings appear lower in African-American patients, reports PRS Global Open Philadelphia, Pa. (January 7, 2013) – As perceived by both patients and doctors, the cosmetic results ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Children fast from clear liquids much longer before surgery than guidelines recommend, large study shows

Food insecurity, loneliness can increase the risk of developing chronic pain after surgery

Cesarean delivery linked to higher risk of pain and sleep problems after childbirth

New global burden of disease study: Mortality declines, youth deaths rise, widening health inequities

Chemobiological platform enables renewable conversion of sugars into core aromatic hydrocarbons of petroleum

Individualized perioperative blood pressure management in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery

Proactive vs reactive treatment of hypotension during surgery

Different types of depression linked to different cardiometabolic diseases

Ketogenic diet may protect against stress experienced in the womb

Adults 65 years and older not immune to the opioid epidemic, new study finds

Artificial intelligence emerging as powerful patient safety tool in pediatric anesthesia

Mother’s ZIP code, lack of access to prenatal care can negatively impact baby’s health at birth, new studies show

American Society of Anesthesiologists honors John M. Zerwas, M.D., FASA, with Distinguished Service Award

A centimeter-scale quadruped piezoelectric robot with high integration and strong robustness

Study confirms that people with ADHD can be more creative. The reason may be that they let their mind wander

Research gives insight into effect of neurodegenerative diseases on speech rhythm

Biochar and plants join forces to clean up polluted soils and boost ecosystem recovery

Salk scientist Joseph Ecker awarded McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies

ADHD: Women are diagnosed five years later than men, despite symptoms appearing at the same age.

Power plants may emit more pollution during government shutdowns

Increasing pressures for conformity de-skilling and demotivating teachers, study warns

Researchers develop smarter menstrual product with potential for wearable health monitoring

Microwaves for energy-efficient chemical reactions

MXene current collectors could reduce size, improve recyclability of Li-ion batteries

Living near toxic sites linked to aggressive breast cancer

New discovery could open door to male birth control

Wirth elected Fellow of American Physical Society

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: October 10, 2025

Destined to melt

Attitudes, not income, drive energy savings at home

[Press-News.org] Scientists make your stomach turn bright green if you have an ulcer