The simple device that could change how Australia’s deadliest brain cancer is treated
A new diagnostic device that uses a blood test to understand messages in the brain could revolutionize the way one of Australia’s deadliest cancers is treated, according to doctors from the University of Queensland.
Called the Phenotype Analysis Chip, the device reads how glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, responds to treatment, potentially eliminating the need for invasive procedures and improving survival rates.
Dr Richard Lobb and Dr Zhen Zhang, from UQ’s Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, described it as a “window into the brain” and required little more than a non-invasive blood sample to get “fast and accurate information” about cancer.
“What we’re trying to do is develop a blood test that reflects what’s happening biologically in the brain in real time… to really understand whether this treatment is effective,” Lobb said.
Lobb’s background looks at how cells communicate, and the device works on that basis.
“I’m working on what are called extracellular vesicles. You can think of them as essentially short messages sent by cells,” he said.
“They’re small, but they carry a lot of meaningful information about what’s going on inside cells, or what’s going on inside the brain, for example.”
The chip works by examining small samples of blood and capturing reporter cells (extracellular vesicles) originating from glioblastoma tumor tissue.
“These particles cross the blood-brain barrier full of disease-related information, and we can pick them up and interrogate them with our hypersensitive device,” Zhang said.
Approximately 1640 people died of brian cancer last year and more than 2000 new diagnoses were recorded.
Glioblastoma is the most common form of brain cancer in Australia and is considered particularly lethal due to its delicate location, aggressive growth and difficulties in accurately monitoring treatments.
“There has been little success so far in clinical trials of new and experimental glioblastoma treatments,” Lobb said.
“Part of the reason for this is that there is no way to tell if a therapy is working exactly as it should in the moment without drilling into someone’s head.”
While the device won’t replace the need for some invasive procedures, such as MRI scans and biopsies to diagnose tumors, it could improve treatment outcomes, especially for patients in remote and rural areas.
“Even if an MRI scan shows a change, it may be unclear whether the tumor is growing or whether the brain is just responding to treatment,” Lobb said.
“This uncertainty can be very stressful for patients and families, and sometimes the only sure option is to go for another brain biopsy, which carries risks and often cannot be done.”
The device has been validated in more than 40 brain cancer patients and will be implemented with support in clinical trials.
Lobb hopes to see this used in the future to unlock treatments for other neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and motor neurone disease.
“If we can capture and analyze the correct extracellular vesicles in a patient’s blood, we can gain new insights into the mechanism of onset and progression of a wide range of brain diseases.
“Glioblastoma is really just the beginning of this technology.”
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