Detecting Brain Tumours from a Urine Test

Image credit: Takao Yasui

An exciting development for early detection of brain tumours has come from Japan this month, with a team of researchers from Nagoya University announcing a urine test for identifying a genetic mutation associated with glioma tumours using nanowires.

The technology works by capturing and releasing cell-free DNA (cfDNA) on nanowire surfaces from urine. In extracting the DNA, researchers then identified the IDH1 genetic mutation of glioma tumours.

Research co-author, Professor Takoa Yasui said the method paved the way for new possibilities for the detection of tumour mutations.

“This research overcomes the shortcomings of currently used methods by using chemical, biological, medical and nanotechnological techniques to provide a state-of-the-art method for the clinical use of urinary cfDNA, especially as an analytical tool to facilitate the early diagnosis of cancer,” said Professor Yasui.

“If we know the type of mutation to look for, we can easily apply our technique to detect other types of tumours, especially the detection of those that cannot be isolated by conventional methods.”

Refer to the research article published in BioSensors and Bioelectronics for more information, or check out the full rundown from Nagoya University.