USC Receives $3.2 Million to Develop Cancer Screening Test

January 17, 2008

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) received $3.2 million over three years from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) to develop a more accurate and cost-effective diagnostic test to screen for cancer.

“Current screening tests for cancers like prostate or breast cancer are time intensive, expensive and often produce false positives. This is because they are processed over multiple steps and only test for a single biomarker of cancerous tissue at a time,” says Richard Cote, M.D., professor of pathology and urology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “We are developing a way to use nanotechnology to detect multiple biomarkers of different types, including protein and DNA abnormalities,  in a single step that is more accurate and cost-efficient.”

Cote and his team are examining ways to use novel nanowires and carbon nanotubes that transmit electrical pulses to identify any cancer related biomarkers. The team hopes to design a device that would allow for the detection of multiple biomarkers simultaneously, which would minimize false negative or positive results for complex cases.

“Nanotechnology is very sensitive and allows us to screen at the molecular level. We are designing a sensor array that will detect different molecules and identify various warning signals to reduce any false positive results,” says Mark Thompson, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at USC. “The electrodes produce an electrical fingerprint for disease and may ultimately allow earlier and more reliable detection. Physicians in turn can conduct more direct testing and treatment courses.”

The NIBIB is one of the newest of the National Institutes of Health research centers and its mission is to improve health by leading the development and accelerating the application of biomedical technologies.

“With this grant, we will have the opportunity to develop a device that will fundamentally change how biological properties are detected,” continues Cote. “In the future, we hope this will not only diagnose and monitor cancer progression, but also extend this application to other diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well.”

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