Researchers at the University of Birmingham are creating a new kind of test that employs complicated carbohydrates to identify prostate cancer more quickly and accurately.
Glycans, or sugars, are what the test looks for in blood to identify. When cancer is present in the body, these sugars, which are joined to protein molecules known as PSA, are known to experience distinct yet modest alterations.
There are specific glycan types that are linked to particular tumors, but there hasn’t been a technique to accurately, quickly, or enough specifically detect these glycans up until now.
A method that can pinpoint glycans linked to cancer with exceptional accuracy has now been developed through research performed by a group from the University of Birmingham’s School of Chemical Engineering. The University of Birmingham Enterprise has filed a patent for the technology.
It functions by molding a specific glycan using a synthetic carbohydrate substance. These “receptors” are subsequently set in place on a surface where they can only attach to that specific glycan.
The male reproductive system includes the prostate, a little gland in the pelvic. It encloses the urethra and is about the size of a walnut, situated between the penis and the bladder. Cancer that develops in the prostate is known as prostate cancer. One of the most prevalent cancer kinds is it.
In the prostate gland, where they may not do much harm, many prostate tumors develop slowly and are localized. Although some prostate cancers spread slowly and may require little to no therapy, others are aggressive and can spread very quickly.
The paper’s principal author is Professor Paula Mendes from the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham. She explains:
“What is really exciting about the technique we’ve developed is the ability to pinpoint glycans with such specificity. A PSA molecule can have 56 different sugars attached to it, but only four are associated with prostate cancer. With this test, we’re able to identify those four with certainty.”
This method of counting glycans will reveal not just whether cancer is present, but also how aggressive or advanced the malignancy is. The team anticipates using the method to analyze clinical samples in the lab later this year. The research findings were reported in Advanced Functional Materials.
Early and accurate diagnosis of prostate cancer is critical to ensuring we cure more men of prostate cancer while reducing side effects from over treatment. While PSA can be a helpful test, It is often elevated in people who don’t have prostate cancer and tells us nothing about how aggressive the disease might be in people who do.
Dr. David Montgomery
Since current tests can only indicate an increase in PSA in blood samples, a new test for prostate cancer is urgently needed. About 50% of the time, this can produce false-positive results.
This is due to the fact that a man’s PSA level might increase for a variety of various causes that aren’t always connected to cancer. Additionally, the PSA test is unable to diagnose about 25% of men who actually have prostate cancer since they do not have elevated PSA levels.
Professor Mendes says: “Many patients undergoing the PSA test will be falsely diagnosed, causing them be sent for further, more invasive tests, and this places a lot of stress on the patient, as well as being very expensive for health services. Just as worrying, many men have low levels of PSA that do not show up well in tests.”
“By measuring the glycans, however, we can offer diagnoses that are much more precise, not only detecting cancer at an earlier stage, but identifying how aggressive it is too.”
The team has already begun to build a test for ovarian cancer and hopes to use the technology to identify additional tumors.
“Ovarian cancer is typically detected at a very late stage, when treatment options are very limited, and so survival rates are very low,” explains Professor Mendes. “Because our test is highly specific, it should be possible to apply it to a number of different types of cancer.”
Prostate Cancer UK provided funding for the study as a part of its Research Innovation Awards Program.
Dr. David Montgomery, Director of Research at Prostate Cancer UK, said:
“Early and accurate diagnosis of prostate cancer is critical to ensuring we cure more men of prostate cancer while reducing side effects from over treatment. While PSA can be a helpful test, It is often elevated in people who don’t have prostate cancer and tells us nothing about how aggressive the disease might be in people who do.”
“While at an early stage, this research could make PSA a much more specific and accurate way not only to diagnose prostate cancer, but also to tell who needs urgent treatment and whose cancer is less aggressive and can safely be watched. Ultimately, this could help us cure more men and harm fewer.
“What we need now is for fantastic research like this to be able to continue beyond the current Covid-19 pandemic. With labs closed and much of this research coming to a standstill, Prostate Cancer UK is asking for people to donate now to ensure we can continue to fund ground-breaking research to help more men with prostate cancer.”
