|
2 June 2010
Scientists at Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) have developed a test for approximately 15% of all cancers, including some of the most aggressive and potentially lethal.
The test was developed by Dr Jeremy Henson and scientists in the Cancer Research Unit, headed by CMRI Director Professor Roger Reddel. It measures the activity of ALT, a cancer mechanism used by some aggressive brain and bone cancers, and some breast and lung cancers.
Dr Jeremy Henson has developed a new test for cancer, which he expects to develop into a blood test for use in clinical settings in the next few years.
Until now, the development of drugs to block ALT and kill cancer cells has been hampered by lack of a suitable method for testing for ALT activity.
Dr Henson discovered a unique molecule called a C-circle that is found only in cancer cells that use ALT. The test is based on detecting these C-circles inside the cells of cancer patients “it hopefully will allow us to pick up presence of tumours very early on," said Dr Henson. "The test is extremely sensitive in the lab. We can detect as few as 100 cancer cells."
Dr Henson has received a grant from the Cancer Institute NSW to develop his lab test into a blood test that can be used in clinical situations. "Very conveniently for us, the tumour sheds these C-circles into the bloodstream, so the cancer can be identified by a simple blood test," said Professor Reddel.
As a clinician as well as a scientist, Dr Henson sees first-hand the impact that being diagnosed with cancer can have on patients and their families. “It is these patients that motivated me to develop this test in the hope that its use as a blood test could help the early diagnosis and clinical management of cancer patients,” said Dr Henson.
Knowing whether the ALT mechanism is at work also can affect a patient's prognosis in some cases, changing how doctors manage the cancer.
For example, a quarter of malignant brain tumours use ALT. For those patients the average survival time is three times higher than for other patients—2.5 years compared with nine months. Henson says this could make a difference in how intensively to treat those patients to maximise their quality of life.
Dr Henson also plans to use his test in the lab to look for genes involved in ALT. “That's important because every gene that we find involved in ALT is another potential target for killing cancer cells without harming normal cells" said Dr Henson.
Dr Henson hopes that this new test will help gain valuable insights into ALT, which could lead to improved treatments for cancer.
Dr Henson’s work is published in the prestigious international scientific journal, Nature Biotechnology. His work on the ALT assay was made possible by generous support from the Cancer Council NSW, pilot funding from Cure Cancer Australia and donors to Jeans for Genes and Children’s Medical Research Institute.
To make a donation that will assist the search for new cancer treatments click here.
This news item is based on the article “Test targets aggressive cancer: DNA”, written by Lynnette Hoffman and published in The Australian, May 22, 2010.
|