We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Microneedle Skin Patch Enables Cancer Biomarker Sampling for Single-Molecule Measurement

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 18 Sep 2023
Print article
Image: Biomarker molecules can be sampled from melanoma lesions using microneedles (Photo courtesy of Wyss Institute)
Image: Biomarker molecules can be sampled from melanoma lesions using microneedles (Photo courtesy of Wyss Institute)

Patients suffering from melanoma, a severe form of skin cancer where cells that produce pigment grow uncontrollably, have mixed results with current immunotherapies. Over half of these patients do not respond to the available immunotherapy medications, and of those who initially do, many later develop resistance. Therefore, medical professionals need tools to identify which patients are likely to respond positively to the treatment from the outset and which ones will continue or stop responding. Given that skin tumors in melanoma patients are easily accessible, applying immunotherapies directly to the affected area, rather than infusing them through the bloodstream, could be more effective. Moreover, observing how the immune system responds to the treatment directly at the tumor location could lead to more personalized care for patients through continuous and accurate monitoring of various indicators that signal effective immune cell activation and the desired inflammatory response.

Now, a research team including scientists at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University (Boston, MA, USA) has developed an innovative technique that combines a minimally invasive, painless microneedle platform with an ultra-sensitive, single-molecule detection method known as Simoa. These microneedles can absorb fluid that contains biomarkers from deeper skin layers, while the Simoa technology can recognize these often elusive but crucial biomarkers with greater sensitivity than traditional methods. As a proof of concept, the researchers tested their approach in a mouse model of melanoma, treating the cancerous growths with a new kind of therapy. This novel treatment employs focused ultrasound to generate heat and instantly kill tumor cells at the lesion site, and it is paired with a specially designed nanoparticle that activates an inflammation-causing protein known as the stimulator of interferon genes (STING).

The team developed four different Simoa assays to detect molecules whose expression is activated by STING: interferon-b (IFN-b), MCP-1 and KC, which draw immune cells towards the tumors, as well as the broad inflammation marker, interleukin-6 (IL-6). This allowed the researchers to detect these biomarkers in fluid samples collected by the microneedles with sensitivities 100 to 1000 times greater than conventional tests. Importantly, these measurements were in line with other Simoa tests of the same biomarkers in blood samples. The study findings are reported in Advanced Functional Materials.

“Rapid readout of the responses to melanoma therapy using microneedles may enable effective drug screening and patient stratification to maximize therapeutic benefits,” said Wyss Associate Faculty member Natalie Artzi, Ph.D., who led the study.

“The Artzi lab’s remarkable microneedle technology containing engineered nanostructures, in principle, enables both, drug delivery and microsampling – a completely new concept for a theranostic, which provides an ideal, non-invasive and comprehensive solution to melanoma treatment,” said Wyss Core Faculty member David Walt, Ph.D., who had previously developed the Simoa technology, which has ultrasensitive biomarker detection abilities.

Related Links:
Wyss Institute at Harvard University

Gold Member
Troponin T QC
Troponin T Quality Control
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
HIV-1 Test
HIV-1 Real Time RT-PCR Kit
New
Immunofluorescence Analyzer
MPQuanti

Print article

Channels

Immunology

view channel
Image: The findings were based on patients from the ADAURA clinical trial of the targeted therapy osimertinib for patients with NSCLC with EGFR-activated mutations (Photo courtesy of YSM Multimedia Team)

Post-Treatment Blood Test Could Inform Future Cancer Therapy Decisions

In the ongoing advancement of personalized medicine, a new study has provided evidence supporting the use of a tool that detects cancer-derived molecules in the blood of lung cancer patients years after... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: Schematic representation illustrating the key findings of the study (Photo courtesy of UNIST)

Breakthrough Diagnostic Technology Identifies Bacterial Infections with Almost 100% Accuracy within Three Hours

Rapid and precise identification of pathogenic microbes in patient samples is essential for the effective treatment of acute infectious diseases, such as sepsis. The fluorescence in situ hybridization... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.