NUS Scientist Promises Low-Cost Cancer Testing Method

• The National University of Singapore (NUS) promises a low-cost, sensitive cancer testing method.

• The NUS's discovery of a novel low-cost cancer testing method has opened ways for getting affordable monitoring of cancer suspected patients. 

• The new method will cost approximately US $35 as compared to the currently used tissue biopsy method, which costs US $1000.

• Heatrich-BS assay test sequence which involves heating a clinical sample isolates cancer-specific signatures that are found in the patient's blood. This method is now being trialled at the National Cancer Center in Singapore on colorectal cancer patients.

• The current cancer biopsies are expensive and ineffective for routine cancer screening. The newly discovered method-Heatrich BS assay is highly sensible and affordable for regular cancer tests.

• It was an accidental discovery as one of the researchers heated a DNA sample. The heat destroyed the non-informative section of the genome and left the CpG island (repetition of the C and G nucleotides of DNA) behind.

• The Heatrich-BS assay method concentrates on sequencing the region of DNA that matters most for the detection of cancer in an individual.

• Asst. Prof. Cheow from NUS said, "The new cost-effective cancer-detecting method can monitor patients for their response to treatment and tailor their therapy regimes."

• NUS scientists are working on commercialising their assay with the help of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Scientists have published their findings in Science Advances, a scientific journal, and also filed a patent for the same. They believe the Hetarich-BS assay will accelerate future academic research and help scientists study different subtypes of cancer.

Source- News Medical