Novel Method for Detecting Lung Cancer

A highly sensitive technology can detect lung cancer by identifying a specific small ribonucleic acid (microRNA) in the bloodstream, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Missouri (MU; Columbia, USA) used a nanopore sensor based on the α-haemolysin protein to detect selectively microRNAs at the single molecular level in plasma samples from lung cancer patients, without the need for labels or amplification of the microRNA. When the target microRNA interacts with the functionalized lumen of the nanopore channel, it blocks the ion pathway in a characteristic way. The resulting conductance changes allow for the identification and quantification of the targeted single molecules in the mixture.

The nanopore sensor, which uses a programmable oligonucleotide probe to generate the target-specific signature signal, can quantify sub-picomolar levels of microRNAs, and can even distinguish single-nucleotide differences between specific microRNA family members. The nanopore sensors themselves can be assembled through genetic engineering using protein ion channels, and can alternatively be artificially fabricated on solid substrates using fashion nanotechnology. The study describing the technology was published in the October 2, 2011, issue of Nature Nanotechnology.

“While there are many research labs that focus on nanopore applications, this is the first time that nanopore technology has been used to detect lung cancer,” said corresponding author Li-Qun Gu, PhD, an associate professor of biological engineering. “This technology could possibly be used in the future to detect other cancer types, as well as other types of diseases with specific DNA or RNA in the blood.”

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