This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Researchers often use antibodies to detect specific molecules or biological markers because they are remarkably precise at recognizing their targets. However, finding the faint signals of cancer in blood samples is a challenge even for the most reliable techniques.
Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have now found that these molecular detectors can get a little boost from light. Using laser irradiation, they accelerated antibody–antigen interactions, detecting tiny amounts of a colorectal cancer biomarker within minutes. The study is published in the journal Nanoscale Horizons.
Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Early detection remains an important line of defense, one that scientists are working to strengthen. "Current blood-based tests for cancer biomarkers often require lengthy preparation steps and have limited sensitivity when biomarker levels are extremely low," said Takuya Iida, professor at the Graduate School of Science and Research Institute for LAC-SYS (RILACS) at Osaka Metropolitan University and lead author of this study.
"We aimed to develop a faster and more sensitive method for detecting glycoprotein CEACAM-5, a biomarker associated with colorectal cancer." Conventional methods for measuring disease biomarkers often use immunoassays, in which antibodies recognize and bind to specific target proteins. The binding event is then converted into a detectable signal, often through an enzyme attached to an antibody. However, such assays can require hours of incubation and washing steps.
Detecting a target protein in blood can also be challenging because it is surrounded by thousands of other proteins and many other substances. The researchers attached multiple antibodies to microscopic beads and introduced them into a tiny flow channel containing blood plasma. When a laser was applied, the Light-induced Acceleration System (LAC-SYS) enhanced interactions between the antibody-coated beads and CEACAM-5, causing the beads to assemble.
The researchers could then measure the resulting bead assemblies as a signal for the presence of CEACAM-5. "Our light-induced detection technology can detect extremely small amounts of CEACAM-5 in blood within just a few minutes compared to several hours for conventional techniques," Iida said. Their method detected CEACAM-5 at concentrations of 1–10 picograms per milliliter in diluted blood plasma.
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