Indian scientists find common biomarkers for early diagnosis of pancreatic and glioma cancers
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): A team of scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali -- an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) -- has identified some common metabolites of hard-to-detect pancreatic and glioma cancers, which can boost their early diagnosis and lead to better treatment outcomes. The team identified metabolites in exosomes derived from pancreatic, lung and glioma cancer cell lines offering potential universal biomarkers that enhance clinical applicability. “This offers a potential non-invasive method for early cancer diagnosis as well as therapeutic strategies for cancer,” said the researchers in the paper, published in the journal Nanoscale.
Aggressive cancers and glioma cancers often diagnosed late and have poor prognoses. Hence there is an urgent need for non-invasive, reliable cancer biomarkers to address significant gaps in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, particularly for pancreatic and glioma cancers, which lack early detection methods. Nano messengers (exosomes) -- as carriers of tumour-derived metabolites -- provide a unique opportunity to explore the tumour microenvironment (TME), said the team, including Nandini Bajaj and Dr. Deepika Sharma from the Institute.
The researchers utilized a multi-technique approach combining Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA), Electron Microscopy (EM), Western Blot (WB), Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), untargeted Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) -- providing a comprehensive characterization of exosomes, surpassing conventional single-method studies. The study advances cancer diagnostics, personalized medicine, and our understanding of cancer progression mechanisms. These metabolites identified highlight dysregulated pathways in the tumour microenvironment and also give insights into how cancer progresses and enable non-invasive and precise cancer detection and therapeutic targeting.
The findings can lead to the development of targeted therapies that can disrupt dysregulated metabolic pathways in tumours, enhancing treatment efficacy and potentially reducing side effects. This advancement could significantly improve patient outcomes, especially through personalized, precision medicine approaches.
