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Researcher develops
new method for Cancer Screening
Newswise — Ongoing
research at Missouri University of Science
and Technology has uncovered a new method
for the early detection of cancer with the
potential to save millions of lives.
Dr. Yinfa Ma, Curators’
Teaching Professor of chemistry at Missouri
S&T, has developed a non-invasive instrument
for pre-cancer screening that not only
detects cancer in the body, but is capable
of predicting the cancer’s type and severity
using a group of biomarkers.
“Cancer is the
second-highest cause of death among all
diseases,” Ma says. “Early diagnosis of
cancer is crucial, but not many people want
to go to the hospital to undergo costly,
invasive cancer screening.”
Ma’s research builds on
existing knowledge of pteridines, compounds
found within the body that serve as
important cofactors to regulate the
metabolism of cells.
Ma found that six
pteridine derivatives can be detected in
urine samples, and that levels of some
pteridines increase significantly if there
is a tumor inside the body. Most
importantly, Ma discovered that one
molecule, called oncopterin, exists only in
the urine of cancer patients, but not in
healthy human subjects. Further testing for
oncopterin, using different techniques,
still is required.
Ma has developed a
prototype of an instrument, called a P-scan,
that can be used to screen urine for
oncopterine and the six other pteridine bio
markers. The oncopterin level in urine can
be used to determine whether cancer is going
to develop, and varying levels of the six
pteridines can actually provide a
“fingerprint” of the type of cancer.
Ma is collaborating
with Dr. Clay M. Anderson, director of
clinical services at the Ellis Fischel
Cancer Center in Columbia, Mo. Anderson and
his staff are providing confirmed patient
and control samples from lung cancer
patients, with the eventual goal of
conducting systematic studies on each
individual type of cancer.
Ma’s long-term goal is
to develop the P-scan for commercial use in
clinical laboratories for non-invasive early
cancer screening.
“I won’t give up,” Ma
says. “I will continue to work on this
project until we have succeeded and can
market the instrument to save people’s
lives.”
Ma’s research is funded
by the University of Missouri Research Board
and the Missouri S&T chemistry department.
Recently, he received a $1,000 faculty award
from Missouri S&T’s John W. Claypool Fund
for Medical Research.
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