Dec 2022
Urine and plasma tests known as ‘liquid biopsies’ could help detect multiple cancer types early on. Image credit: Jovana Milanko/Stocksy.
- Liquid biopsy is a non-invasive method that can provide information about cancerous tumors based on the presence of tumor-associated DNA or proteins in body fluids.
- Most of the liquid biopsies developed for cancer screening have faced several limitations, including the inability to detect certain types of cancers and high costs.
- A recent proof-of-concept study used the profile of glycosaminoglycans, a class of carbohydrates, in urine and plasma samples as metabolic biomarkers to detect 14 different cancer types.
- This assay holds promise for the early detection of cancers due to its low cost and ability to detect multiple cancer types missed by previous assays, but further research is needed.
A new study published in PNAS suggests that a single test based on measuring metabolic markers in blood and urine samples could potentially help detect multiple different cancer types in a cost-effective manner.
The PNAS study, (cited above and published Dec 5, 2022 )
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2115328119
and from the PNAS study
"In short, the kit is based on a method by Volpi et al. (33). The assay consists of the enzymatic depolymerization of GAGs from the sample into disaccharides by Chondroitinase ABC and Heparinase I-II-III. The method omits proteolytic digestion, thereby limiting the derived depolymerized GAGs to the protein-free fraction—or free GAGs. Following depolymerization, disaccharides are labeled using 2-aminoacridone and injected into an UHPLC-MS/MS for separation and detection. The peaks of the 17 disaccharides are acquired at using multiple reaction monitoring analysis implemented in the mass spectrometry software (Waters® TargetLynx). The chromatographic conditions and MS configuration were set in accordance with the kit instruction for use"