Image credit: 200 Degrees from Pixabay
Scientists in Cambridge have developed a world first test that can detect the presence of glioma, a type of brain tumour, using a patient’s urine or blood plasma.
Despite still being in its early stages, results of the world first test are very promising, according to the team at Cancer Research UK*.
At present, patients who are at high risk of brain tumours need to be checked every three months using an MRI scan. With the new method, GPs could monitor patients quicker and more conveniently.
The blood and urine tests work by looking for mutated DNA, shed by tumour cells when they die, known as cell-free DNA (cfDNA). But it can be difficult to detect tumour cfDNA in the blood because of the blood-brain barrier, which separates blood from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surrounding the brain and spinal cord, often preventing the passage of cfDNA.
While cfDNA can be found in blood and other bodily fluids, such as urine, at very low levels, it has, until now, been difficult to detect because of a lack of sensitive tests.
For the first test, a total of eight patients who were suspected of having brain tumours based on MRI scans had samples taken at their initial brain tumour biopsies, as well as CSF, blood, and urine samples. By knowing where to look in the DNA strand, scientists found that it was possible to find mutations even in the tiny amounts of cfDNA found in the blood plasma and urine. The test successfully detected cfDNA in seven out of eight CSF samples, 10 out of the 12 plasma blood samples, and 10 out of the 16 urine samples.
For the second test, the scientists looked for other patterns in the cfDNA that could also indicate the presence of a tumour, without having to identify specific mutations. They analysed 35 samples from glioma patients, 27 people with non-malignant brain disorders, and 26 healthy people. The team found that fragments of cfDNA in brain tumour patients’ blood or urine samples were different sizes than those from people with non-malignant brain disorders or healthy volunteers.
By feeding this data into a machine learning algorithm, the scientists were able to successfully differentiate between the urine samples of people with and without glioma.
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK said: “While this is early research, it’s opened up the possibility that within the next decade we could be able to detect the presence of a brain tumour with a simple urine or blood test. It’s great to see Cancer Research UK researchers making strides in this important field.”
The research is published in EMBO Molecular Medicine**.
* https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/
** https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/emmm.202012881
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a standalone, wireless device that can convert sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into a carbon-neutral fuel. The researchers say the breakthrough is a massive step towards achieving large-scale artificial photosynthesis
You could be forgiven for thinking that lithium-ion batteries — like the ones found in smartphones, laptops, electric mobility vehicles and more — are no longer much good once they have lost their charge. However, the reality is they still contain lots of valuable metals, such as lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel, which can be recovered and recycled.
Engineers from the United Kingdom and Japan have set an incredible new Internet speed record of 178 terabits per second (Tb/s). That’s 178,000,000 megabits a second, fast enough to download the entire Netflix library in the blink of an eye!
Guide dogs provide visually impaired individuals with many benefits. However, they aren’t always appropriate, with cost, space and allergies all potential barriers to ownership. But a new technology being developed at Loughborough University could see all a guide dog’s functions channelled into a handheld, robotic device for the visually impaired.
A team led by the University of Adelaide and the University of Stuttgart has used 3D micro-printing to create the world’s smallest imaging device, capable of going inside blood vessels.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and the University of Cambridge are collaborating on the development of a new contactless touchscreen technology, which is designed to promote safer driving and reduce the spread of germs, bacteria and viruses in a post-COVID world.
Huawei has been given the go-ahead by South Cambridgeshire District Council to build a £1bn research and development facility nine miles outside of Cambridge. Voting nine to one in Huawei’s favour on Thursday 25th June, councillors approved planning permission for the 53-acre site in Sawston, which Huawei will develop with a view to moving its operation from Ipswich to Cambridge.
How do you extend the range of a drone? Put it on a bus, of course! Now, while you might be thinking that we’re joking, that’s actually one of the findings to come out of new research from Stanford University.
In an attempt to equip non-Computer Science students with valuable machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) skills, the University Of Cambridge has announced a new accelerator programme.
Online safety tech is helping to make the Internet a safer place for millions of people and the UK is leading the way when it comes to innovation. Indeed, companies based in UK cities including London, Leeds, Cambridge and Edinburgh make up 25% of the global market share for safety tech products, an independent report reveals.
Right now, many offices around the UK are sitting empty while staff are furloughed or working from home. But in time, the COVID-19 crisis will end and the lockdown situation will be eased and that means people will start, in theory, returning to their places of work.
How frustrating is it when you’re driving along in your car and you suddenly get a puncture? It’s inconvenient at best and an absolute nightmare at worst, especially if you have no idea how to change your tyre!