Deakin cancer game changer
Deakin’s China lab experiment
DEAKIN University has teamed up with a Chinese biotech company in a bid to develop the world’s first cancer-detection blood test.
The central project of the new joint lab between Deakin’s School of Medicine and international partner Suzhou Gene Pharma will be the commercial development of a simple blood test that can detect diseases such as pancreatic or lung cancer — conditions where late diagnosis often means a poor chance of survival.
The lab will operate in China.
DEVELOPING the world’s first cancer-detecting blood test is the aim of a new partnership between Deakin University and a biotech company in China.
Deakin’s School of Medicine and international partner Suzhou GenePharma will look to create a simple blood test that can detect diseases such as pancreatic or lung cancer, where late detection is associated with low survival rates.
Project leader Wei Duan said, despite advances in the understanding of cancer and the invention of new drugs, it remains the leading cause of death worldwide.
“This is because, by the time most cancers can be diagnosed using tra- ditional methods like a tissue biopsy or PET scan, many cancer cells may have already spread to other parts of the body,” Professor Duan said. “Currently, there are only a small number of cancers that can be diagnosed early, but if we can use a simple blood test, we could potentially see much better patient outcomes.”
Though the Suzhou GenePharmaDeakin University Joint Laboratory of Aptamer Medicine will be located in China, much of the initial work will take place using existing facilities at Waurn Ponds.
Prof Duan and his team had been exploring a molecular probe that could bind to cancer biomarkers specifically, which could counter the difficult detection of cellular or molecular components of cancers that often shed into the blood in the early stages of tumour development.
“Most, if not all, cancer markers are not unique, meaning that they are also found in normal cells or tissues. To detect the cancer marker among a sea of normal cells in the blood is akin to finding a needle in a haystack,” he said.
“These molecular probes function similarly to laser-guided precision bombs and could be used to detect cancer using as little as one millilitre of blood.”
Once developed, the test will then go through clinical trials in China, where patients with and without cancer will have blood taken and assessed to determine the test’s accuracy.
Following a successful trial process, the team would apply to the China Food and Drug Administration for formal approval, followed by similar applications to government bodies in other countries, including Australia, so the test could be used globally.
“While it may be several years before we see this test being used by clinicians around the world, we believe it’s very promising that we will be able to deliver successful products that will significantly improve the survival and quality of life for patients with cancer,” Prof Dun said.
“While it may be several years before we see this test being used ... we believe it’s very promising.” PROFESSOR WEI DUAN