Researchers develop device to detect brain tumour through urine

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have used a new device to identify a key membrane protein in urine that indicates whether the patient has a brain tumor. Their protein could be used to detect brain cancer, avoiding the need for invasive tests, and increasing the likelihood of tumors being detected early enough for surgery. This research could also have potential implications for detecting other types of cancer. The research was published in ACS Nano.

Although early detection of many types of cancer has contributed to the recent increases in cancer survival rates, the survival rate for brain tumors has remained almost unchanged for over 20 years. Partly this is due to their late detection. Physicians often discover brain tumors only after the onset of neurological symptoms, such as loss of movement or speech, by which time the tumor has reached a considerable size. Detecting the tumor when it is still small, and starting treatment as soon as possible. should help to save lives.

Reference:

Kunanon Chattrairat, Takao Yasui el at, All-in-one nanowire assay system for capture and analysis of extracellular vesicles from an ex vivo brain tumor model, (2 Feb 2023), ACS Nano Article ASAP, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c08526