Scientists at George Mason University have developed a new technology to detect diseases such as cancer at an earlier stage than with standard testing methods.
They plan to take their innovation into the commercial market this year, followed by widespread distribution in physicians’ offices.
A team at the university’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine has figured out a way to better identify biomarkers, which can indicate the presence of cancer, as well as cardiovascular and infectious diseases.
“The basic problem in biomarkers is that they’re in very low concentration,” said Dr. Lance Liotta, co-director of the center. A tiny tumor will produce a tiny amount of biomarkers that will be diluted in a blood sample.
Molecules in blood samples also start to degrade very quickly, which can change the biomarkers.
The team has designed smart hydrogel nanoparticles that can be mixed with blood samples. The particles “concentrate, capture, protect and preserve biomarkers,” Liotta said.
The particles are based on a polymer that is sensitive to water. It can “swell and shrink,” like a “porous ball” that can “capture bait inside,” said Dr. Alessandra Luchini, lead author of the study about the nanoparticle published in the American Chemical Society’s Nano Letters. The American Association of Cancer Research selected this invention to be presented at a conference last December.
The chemistry of the particles can be altered to test for a variety of biomarkers, and the team has been able to allow different biomarkers to show up in different colors, all in under 10 minutes.
The particles can be tuned to certain-sized molecules, or they can pick up a broad spectrum.
The particles can also be made in large quantities at a low cost. One batch, easily made in a few hours, can test samples from thousands of patients, Luchini said. It’s even cheaper than freezing blood, which is currently done to preserve the samples, said Liotta and Dr. Emanuel Petricoin III, the center’s other co-director.
“The technology has a lot of interest,” and not just with diseases, Petricoin said. The particles can also be used in environmental cleanup and remediation, quickly binding toxins in pond water, milk and food, he said.
Mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia, can be identified by collecting particles from sweat.
The team is also looking at testing for the presence of human growth hormone, which is currently undetectable. In light of recent steroid scandals, this has generated commercial interest, Petricoin said.
The whole project is in collaboration with the Italian government, which has a joint patent on the nanoparticle. Luchini, a fellow from Italy, is working at George Mason to bring the technology back to Italy. Twelve cancer centers in Italy provide the scientists with patient samples.
