A research team led by Ho Sang Jung, PhD, at the Korea Institute of Materials Science has developed a promising new method for diagnosing cancer that could transform early detection efforts. The innovative approach, published in Biosensors & Bioelectronics, uses a specialized sensor material that amplifies the optical signals of cancer metabolites in biofluids like saliva, providing a non-invasive alternative to traditional diagnostic methods such as blood draws and tissue biopsies.
The technology has shown diagnostic capability in a number of cancers. In one study, in collaboration with prof. Soo Woong Yoo of the Chonnam National University Hospital, the investigators showed they could diagnose colorectal cancer by inserting a plasmonic needle that amplifies the Raman optical signals of molecules into a one-millimeter hole that can be inserted with a colonoscopy camera, and swab the surface of a tumor to analyze its composition.
They team has also shown success using this method to detect lung cancer.
Lung cancer patients exhale volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that differ from those of healthy people. VOCs dissolve in saliva and lung cancer metabolites can be detected and measured as biomarkers of the disease and to determine what stage disease the patient has. The research team in collaboration with prof. Byung-Ho Chung at the Samsung Medical Center developed paper-based sensors that can identify the metabolites known to be indicative of lung cancer.
The sensor uses surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), a technique known for its ability to provide precise molecular identification. The technology overcomes challenges associated with saliva’s viscosity by employing a hierarchical nanoarchitecture that enhances the sensor’s interaction with the fluid, allowing for more effective analysis.
For the application in lung cancer, the team also used artificial intelligence (AI) to develop mathematical modeling to help suggest the most relevant biomarkers to be earmarked for detection.
Jung noted that the technology has potential as a diagnostic device in diseases other than cancer that may lack effective diagnostics. “The developed technology can be expanded not only to diagnose cancer, but also to diseases with poorly understood diagnostics, such as synaptic diseases,” he said. “We will enter the global diagnostic market based on domestic source technologies and take the lead in developing technologies that people can experience.”
In addition to saliva analysis, the research team has made strides in urine diagnostics, previously developing a method last year that it has since transferred to SOLUM Healthcare for further development which has resulted in the technology being able to detect multiple cancer from a single test. To prove its capabilities, the investigators analyzed, at the same time, urine samples from 250 patients with pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer and obtained results withing around two hours for 100 patients. The test showed sensitivity and specificity that both exceed 98%.
The implications of this new technology are significant. By making cancer diagnostics less invasive and more efficient, it has the potential to lead to screening methods intended to catch cancer at its earliest stages of development. Further, the technology could help provide vital diagnostic techniques, at lower cost, to underserved geographies.
