Gold Nanoparticles Prostate Test – The Ultra-Sensitive Cancer Detector

A potent, ultrasensitive test that cautions of the early reappearance of prostate cancer has now been developed by scientists from US and Australia. This would translate to recurrences being potentially spotted early on – that would help in saving ten thousand lives annually that perish due to the disease.

The novel bio-barcode assay used by the team employs gold nanoparticles and DNA as intensification agents for detecting PSA or prostate specific antigens – a protein whose production increases with the growth and proliferation of cancer. This is known to be three hundred times more responsive as compared to other commercial assays.

PSA levels among those who have undergone surgical removal of their prostate gland characteristically plummet to an extent that is unnoticed by the usual assays. In case the levels start creeping upwards subsequent to surgery, then it could caution physicians about the relapse of cancer – but only if they are able to spot this increase. With the help of the novel bio-barcode assay, the measurement and monitoring of the PSA could be done at much lesser levels as compared to the present conventional immunoassays, and could hence be employed as a disease-pointer.

The experiments conducted on the blood from eighteen post-operative patients, the test employed miniscule particles of gold layered in DNA and antibodies to detect the presence of the PSA protein in blood samples, spotted levels that were three hundred times lesser as compared to the present tests.

The immunoassay comprises of two constituents, namely, a PSA antibody functionalised gold nanoparticle embellished with DNA strands, and another second PSA antibody-functionalised magnetic microparticle. Within the solution both these particles attached to the PSA, packing in the protein between them. The packed in probes could afterwards be detached by the magnetic particles. The DNA embellishing the gold nanoparticles is then separated and scanned employing a scanometric assay, revealing how many packed-in probes were created and hence the extent of PSA in the sample. Scores of DNA strands are let loose for each molecule of PSA packed in the assay that assists in boosting the sensitivity of the test.

The team intends to carry out the process in a wider scale by getting 250 patients involved in the study for corroborating the earlier outcomes. This technology has proven robustness and effectuality.

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