Researchers Develop New Method to Detect Cancer Biomarkers

When doctors examine suspected cases of cancer, they turn to biomarker tests to aid in diagnosis.

Armed with a testing system and patient samples, physicians can investigate potential leads, narrow down their list of culprits, and provide patients with precise, effective treatments.

A team led by Florida State University chemists has developed a new test for biomarkers associated with several types of cancer. Their research was recently published American Chemical Society.

"Better tools for detecting cancer mean more effective treatments for patients," said Hedi Mattoussi, a professor in FSU's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Our goal in this study was to create a biosensor that would glow in the presence of cancer markers, providing another tool for detecting persistent problems with this disease."

The sensing platform consists of gold nanoparticles and molecules called peptides, which are labeled with dyes. The components are held together by chemical bonds, and the gold nanoparticles prevent the dye from glowing under ultraviolet light. When added to a patient sample containing the enzyme MMP-14, a biomarker for various cancers, but most commonly breast cancer, it breaks the bonds of the peptide, pulling the dye-bearing fragments out of the gold separate from. Without the gold to absorb the dye's energy, the sample began to glow.

"You start with a dark system, and we can see it as 'off,' like we do with a light switch," Mattoussi said. "When you introduce the enzyme, the system is 'on' and glows. It Like a lighthouse."

The light emitted by the sample depends on the concentration of the enzyme and the time of the interaction. By measuring this light, researchers can generate data that tells them whether a cancer marker is present in a sample, and at what level.

There are several methods for detecting cancer. The research is the first step toward developing a method that can detect a wider variety of cancers.

Mattoussi and his team tested their system with the MMP-14 enzyme, but they plan to expand this study to match more peptides to other cancer-marking enzymes. With further development, it could allow scientists to test various cancers at once using a single assessment.

"The platform we designed works with any enzyme," he said. "All you need to do is change the properties of the peptide attached to the nanoparticle. You change the peptide, you change the enzyme, and they work the same way.

In addition to applications in disease detection, the research also sheds light on how enzymes interact with peptides attached to nanoparticles, and how the addition of enzymes affects detection systems.

"One aspect of our research is the application," Mattoussi said. "Cancer diagnosis is still a big problem. Early detection has been the limiting factor. But another aspect of this work is the ability to develop a platform that starts with a nanoparticle attached to a peptide labeled with a dye and understands the way they interact. How efficient are those interactions? What happens when you change the size of the nanoparticles or the amount of peptides? "

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