(Press-News.org) A team of investigators from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the UCLA School of Dentistry received a five-year $4.6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to develop and improve liquid biopsy technologies for the early detection of lung cancer — the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S.
UCLA is one of five institutions in the nation that is part of the NCI Liquid Biopsy Consortium that is designed to find a better way to detect early signs of lung cancer in people with suspicious lung nodules, which are small abnormal growths in the lungs.
Currently, computed tomography (CT) scans are used to detect these nodules early. However, using CT scans more often has led to finding a lot of small lung nodules, and it's challenging to determine which of these could potentially be cancerous.
Instead, the team of UCLA researchers are looking to use a liquid biopsy for early lung cancer detection, which is a noninvasive method to determine the molecular composition of a tumor without needing to extract tissue or perform surgery. It checks for signs of cancer using a person's blood or other easily accessible body fluids. It also can provide insight into the presence, progress or characteristics of certain health conditions that help gain a broader understanding of the disease and aid in diagnosis and treatment planning.
The grant will support the UCLA team’s work in developing a technology called EFIRM-liquid biopsy to detect markers that indicate the presence and nature of cancer. In an earlier phase of their research, the team discovered a specific type of DNA called ultrashort and single-stranded DNA in the blood, which seems to be associated with cancer. The team hopes that by combining information from this DNA, specific genetic changes, chemical modifications in the DNA, small RNA molecules, and detailed imaging, they can create a comprehensive model to detect lung cancer in these nodules at the earliest stage.
“The goal is to create a blood test that can be used in clinics to complement CT imaging assessment of lung nodules for cancer risk, helping doctors decide if and when further testing is needed,” said Dr. Denise Aberle, professor of radiology and bioengineering at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and one of the principal investigators on the grant.
This research is a collaborative effort involving experts in lung cancer biology, medicine, pathology, engineering, dentistry and radiology to develop and optimize this technology.
“We are extremely excited of this work as the next horizon of liquid biopsy for early cancer detection: non-invasive, highly discriminatory, minimal volume and best performance,” said Dr. David Wong, professor of oral biology and director of the UCLA Center for Oral/Head and Neck Research at the UCLA School of Dentistry.
Along with Aberle and Wong, the UCLA team consists of Dr. William Hsu, associate professor of Radiological Sciences, Dr. Kostyantyn Krysan, professor of medicine, Dr. Fang Wei, associate professor of oral and systemic health sciences, and Dr. Liying Zhang, professor of pathology and director of cancer molecular diagnostics, Dr. Charles Strom, CEO of Liquid Diagnostics.
END
Cancer researchers awarded $4.6 million to advance liquid biopsy test for early lung cancer detection
2023-10-13
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
NJIT awarded $6 million from the National Science Foundation to commercialize campus inventions
2023-10-13
NJIT has secured a $6 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to translate science and engineering discoveries into market-ready technologies that will improve quality of life in areas ranging from health care, to sustainable energy, to data privacy.
Awarded by the agency’s Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, the grant will accelerate the development of promising prototypes and enable market validation and other commercialization activities. It will also strengthen the university’s entrepreneurial culture ...
Fecal microbe transplants: B. vulgatus genes that correlate with early colonization
2023-10-13
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Fecal microbe transplants from healthy donors can treat patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile infections. However, after tens of thousands transplants, little was known about which donor strains provide long-term engraftment, and which engraft early after the transplant. Most failures of fecal microbe transplantation occur in the first four weeks.
Recurrent C. difficile infections occur after suppressive antibiotic treatments that knock out almost all of the normal gut flora. Patients suffer watery diarrhea, painful abdominal cramps, a feeling of sickness, fevers and weight loss.
In 2021, researchers at the Icahn ...
Funding will help further development of bacteriophages to combat disease on a commercial scale
2023-10-13
Pioneering work to develop effective and safe bacteriophages to combat disease has received an £800,000 boost.
The grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), is aimed at advancing the production of phages to combat disease in the veterinary field and bring them to market.
It has been awarded to Professor Martha Clokie, the Director of the Leicester Centre of Phage Research, and Dr Anisha Thanki who earlier this year successfully developed a bacteriophage ‘liquid’ product to prevent Salmonella ...
How weather phenomena affect ocean circulation
2023-10-13
The strength of the wind has an important influence on ocean circulation. This is particularly true for extreme events such as storm fronts, tropical storms and cyclones. These weather patterns, which last from a few days to a few weeks, will change in the future due to climate change. In particular, the average energy input into the ocean from mid-latitude storms is expected to decrease, while equatorial regions will become more active. Scientists call these different weather patterns “Atmospheric Synoptic Variability” (ASV).
The ...
Behind the scenes of social class on TV
2023-10-13
A Leeds researcher has teamed up with the BBC, Channel 4 and Candour Productions to analyse the role of social class, on screen and behind the scenes of TV production.
Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the BBC and Channel 4 will work with the research team to support access to two drama productions, where the academics will analyse the series from production to reception.
Led by Beth Johnson, Professor of Television and Media Studies at the University of Leeds’ School of Media and Communication, the research will consider the backgrounds of people who produce TV, how social class is represented in each TV show, and how each series is ...
Researchers measure global consensus over the ethical use of AI
2023-10-13
To examine the global state of AI ethics, a team of researchers from Brazil performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of global guidelines for AI use. Publishing October 13 in in the journal Patterns, the researchers found that, while most of the guidelines valued privacy, transparency, and accountability, very few valued truthfulness, intellectual property, or children’s rights. Additionally, most of the guidelines described ethical principles and values without proposing practical methods for implementing them and without pushing for legally binding regulation.
“Establishing clear ethical guidelines and governance structures for the deployment ...
Opioid limits didn’t change surgery patients’ experience, study shows
2023-10-13
Worries that surgery patients would have a tougher recovery if their doctors had to abide by a five-day limit on opioid pain medication prescriptions didn’t play out as expected, a new study finds.
Instead, patient-reported pain levels and satisfaction didn’t change at all for Michigan adults who had their appendix or gallbladder removed, a hernia repaired, a hysterectomy or other common operations after the state’s largest insurer put the limit in place, the study shows.
At the same time, the amount of opioid pain medication patients covered by that insurer received ...
Health insurance and differences in infant mortality rates
2023-10-13
About The Study: In this study of more than 13 million infants, maternal Medicaid insurance was associated with increased risk of infant mortality at the population level in the U.S. Novel strategies are needed to improve access to care, quality of care, and outcomes among women and infants enrolled in Medicaid.
Authors: Colm P. Travers, M.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is the corresponding author.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.37690)
Editor’s ...
County-level social vulnerability, metropolitan status, and availability of home health services
2023-10-13
About The Study: This study found differences in Medicare-funded home-based clinical care provision across the U.S. by county-level Social Vulnerability Index (a measure of socioeconomic deprivation), suggesting inequitable care access among homebound Medicare beneficiaries. Almost one-quarter of counties had low availability of home-based medical care clinicians coupled with high socioeconomic disadvantage.
Authors: Harriet Mather, M.D., of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, is the corresponding author.
To access ...
Sustainability presents huge opportunities for business and financial institutions
2023-10-13
Why does sustainability matter for businesses and financial institutions? For centuries, competitive markets have been drivers for growth and improvement of quality of life. It is paramount to ensure these markets are compatible with sustainability and can adequately mitigate and adapt to climate change. These changes require a significant amount of capital, and knowledgeable investment and business professionals to deploy it
Sustainability: Business and Investment Implications explores the opportunities and challenges presented by sustainability, the energy transition and the decarbonization of the economy. Over the past years, the United Nations and global ...