‘Lollipop’ cancer device wins £350,000 funding
A‘LOLLIPOP’ that can diagnose mouth cancer early could become a reality, thanks to a pioneering Birmingham project funded by Cancer Research UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Dr Ruchi Gupta, at the University of Birmingham, has been awarded £350,000 over the next three years by Cancer Research UK and EPSRC to make a prototype flavoured ‘lollipop’ from a material called a smart hydrogel.
Smart hydrogels work like a fishing net – they absorb large quantities of water whilst “catching” larger molecules, such as proteins.
The ‘net’ can then be cut open to release the larger molecules for analysis in the lab.
The ‘lollipop’ will be created from a smart hydrogel previously developed by Dr Gupta and her team. The idea is that patients suck on the lollipop, transferring a saliva sample into the hydrogel.
Scientists can then release the ‘caught’ proteins by blasting the hydrogel with UV light and then analyse the liquid for saliva proteins which indicate the early stages of mouth cancer. Around 12,400 people are diagnosed with cancers of the head and neck in the UK every year. Currently, diagnosing mouth cancer can involve putting a flexible camera on the end of a tube through the nose or mouth and taking a biopsy for testing. This procedure is invasive, time-consuming and requires an endoscopist.
Mother of five Rachel Parsons needed a biopsy after being referred to Coventry University Hospital with a lump on her cheek in 2008. She admits she was unprepared for the procedure which, in her case, turned out to be painful.
That was just the beginning of a 12-month nightmare for Ms Parsons who ended up needing a nine-and-ahalf-hour operation to remove a cancerous tumour from her cheek and replace the skin with tissue and veins from her forearm. “The thought of putting a lollipop round your mouth instead of having a biopsy in the first instance is amazing,” said Rachel who has spent years as a patient ambassador, campaigning for more awareness of mouth cancer. “I wish something like that had existed when I was diagnosed.”
Dr Gupta, associate professor of biosensors at the University of Birmingham, said she was thrilled to receive funding to begin the next phase of the project.
“We’re really excited to start the next phase of this project,” she said. “We’re hoping that we can be the first to make a device which is much kinder for diagnosing mouth cancer for patients and easier for GPs to use.”
Faye Bishop, a mouth cancer survivor from Wolverhampton, said: “I think the lollipop idea is brilliant because it will be much less daunting for people.
“I remember being very anxious when I had my biopsy.
“The procedure itself was bad enough but the fear of knowing I might have cancer made it so much worse.”
Faye underwent extensive surgery to reconstruct her tongue as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She was unable to eat or speak for six months and had to have a tracheostomy as well as a feeding tube into her stomach.
“Doctors thought I might never be able to eat or speak again but I was absolutely determined so just kept practicing my speech,” said Faye.
The thought of putting a lollipop round your mouth instead of having a biopsy in the first instance is amazing. Rachel Parsons