$1
Na**particle Test for
Prostate Cancer More Sensitive than PSA
[IMG]http://www.medgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/na**particle-for-cancer-detection.jpg[/IMG]Prostate
Cancer screening with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has been controversial.
Critics of the test (even the person who discovered PSA is a critic!) argue that patients with*prostate
Cancer are
More likely to die with it
than from it, rendering any testing to be unnecessary. In addition, the
*United States Preventative Services Task Force recommends against it, stating that it doesn’t save
More lives, and that it adds unnecessary testing and treatments that cause pain, impotence, and incontinence in many who don’t actually need it.
At any rate, there is at least a niche*for the*development of a more*reliable*test for
Prostate Cancer to clearly*differentiate those who need further treatment from those who don’t. With an estimated 233,000 new cases and 29,480 deaths in 2014 in the United States,
Prostate Cancer represents an important*disease. It is the second most commonly-diag**sed
Cancer in men, following skin cancer.
Researchers at the University of Central Florida have devised a $1*screening tool for
Prostate cancer*called Na**DLSay (Na**particle-enabled Dynamic Light Scattering Assay). It quantifies the elevated immu**globulin G (IgG) levels found in
Prostate Cancer blood samples.Specifically, the researchers*mixed human serum with citrate-capped gold na**particles, which adsorbed IgG. These adsorbed IgG molecules were then connected together with an*anti-IgG*antibody, effectively creating clumps of gold na**particles.*By measuring the*size of these clumps with dynamic light scattering, the researchers were able to correlate the amount of IgG to the presence of
Prostate cancer. In a pilot study of 20*prostate
Cancer samples and 20 control samples, its performance yielded*90-95% sensitivity and 50% specificity. Comparatively, traditional PSA testing has a sensitivity of 21-51%, and a specificity of 91%.
Na**DLSay*is being*validated for
Prostate Cancer at Florida Hospital, VA Medical Center Orlando, and other hospitals. The researchers founded
Na** Discovery Inc. to commercialize it. And because*the
Test evaluates IgG, a common molecule **t specific to any kind of tumour, the team is exploring its*potential*to expand into a general
Cancer screening tool.
Source:*
University of Central Florida…
Article from
ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces:*
Gold Na**particle-Enabled Blood Test for Early Stage Cancer Detection and Risk Assessment…
The post
$1 Na**particle Test for Prostate Cancer More Sensitive than PSA appeared first on
Medgadget.
