As if the MRI (magnetic resonance image) scanner wasn’t brilliant enough, scientists have discovered a way to use a cellular slime to detect cancer without the need for invasive biopsies.
The technique uses the MRI to find small sugar molecules that are shed by the membranes of the cancer cells. “We think this is the first time scientists have found a use in imaging cellular slime,” says senior author Jeff Bulte, professor of radiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The technique hasn’t been tested on humans yet but the results from lab-grown cells and mice have been published in the journal, Nature Communications. “As cells become cancerous,” he says, “some proteins on their outer membranes shed sugar molecules and become less slimy, perhaps because they’re crowded closer together. If we tune the MRI to detect sugars attached to a particular protein, we can see the difference between normal and cancerous cells.”
If continued testing is successful, it suggests the technique could be used to detect cancer early, monitor response to chemotherapy, and guide biopsies to ensure sampling of the most malignant part of a tumor. It may also led to a biopsy free future, saving thousands from painful procedures.
