14 DAY TRIAL // Experts at the Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI) recently presented the first preliminary results of a new blood test designed to aid oncologists with the early detection of breast cancer. The team believes that the simple test will become available to the public in just a few years.
The new detection technique is being developed together with scientists at the New York University Cancer Institute (NYU-CI). Details of the tests conducted so far are available in the latest online issue of the esteemed scientific journal Clinical Chemistry, e! Science News reports.
The test works by analyzing a mixture of free-floating proteins in the blood. These molecules are produced by the carboxypeptidase N enzyme, and can be used as early signs that breast cancer has emerged, and is progressing towards tumors and metastases.
“In this paper we link the catalytic activity of carboxypeptidase N to tumor progression in clinical samples from breast cancer patients and a breast cancer animal model,” says the leader of the new study, HMRI biomedical engineer Tony Hu, PhD.