Specific Molecule Detected in Bloodstream of Lung Cancer Patients

A specific small ribonucleic acid (microRNA) molecule is often elevated in lung cancer patients.

Biological engineers and medical scientists at the University of Missouri (MU; Columbia, MO, USA) used blood plasma samples to detect the change in the microRNA molecule that is often elevated in lung cancer patients. They put an extract of blood plasma through a protein-based nanopore, which is a tiny hole in a thin membrane that is just big enough for a single molecule to pass through. By applying an ionic current to the nanopore, the scientists succeeded in measuring changes in the current that occur when the microRNA molecule associated with lung cancer is present. The study was published in Nature Nanotechnology on September 4, 2011.

"Early detection can save lives, but there is currently no proven screening test available for lung cancer," commented Michael Wang, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and anatomical sciences at the University of Missouri (MU; Columbia, MO, USA) and a corresponding author for the article. "We've developed highly sensitive technology that can detect a specific molecule type in the bloodstream when lung cancer is present."

Li-Qun Gu, PhD, associate professor of biological engineering at MU added that the altered current acts as a signal or bio-signature that is related to lung cancer. "Our new nanopore sensor is selective and sensitive enough to detect microRNAs at the single molecular level in plasma samples from lung cancer patients."

"While there are many research labs that focus on nanopore applications, this is the first time that nanopore technology has been used to detect lung cancer," Prof. Gu added. "This technology could possibly be used in the future to detect other cancer types as well as other types of diseases with specific DNA or RNA in the blood."

Related Links:
University of Missouri
University of Missouri–Pathology and Anatomy