Scientists at Durham University are spearheading research that could herald a new early warning system for one of the UK’s most common killers.
A new three-minute test could help in diagnosing prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men in the UK.
Researchers have developed the test using light energy to measure the level of citrate in fluid samples from the prostate gland. The breakthrough technique could provide the basis of a rapid means of detecting prostate cancer in the future. Almost a quarter of male cancers in the UK are diagnosed as prostate cancer and more than 10,000 men die from the disease each year.
The Durham team, led by Prof David Parker from the University’s chemistry department, has been working with experts from the University of Maryland, USA to develop the technique.
It is able to measure, with speed and accuracy, how citrate levels fall in the prostate gland as cancer develops and could also find use for the diagnosis of other medical conditions, associated with poor kidney function.
Prof Parker said: “Citrate provides a significant biomarker for disease that may provide a reliable method for screening and detecting prostate cancer, and for the monitoring of people with the disease. This technique could form the basis of a simple screening procedure for prostate cancer that could be used in outpatient departments at local hospitals.”
The University has launched a spin-out company called FScan Ltd to develop the technique and to seek commercial backing. The team has looked at 20 samples so far and verified the analysis in every case. The next stage is to work with a local hospital and examine samples from 200 volunteers to see whether the first Durham results correlate.
Prof Parker added: “It’s been a complex process to develop the technique but we’re very optimistic about it. Ultimately, this could provide an accurate method of screening for prostate cancer in men that could be carried out in 3-minutes once a biopsy has been obtained from the patient at a hospital outpatient department.”
The establishment of FScan Ltd is part of the University’s aim to enhance the exploitation of the Intellectual Property generated by high quality research activities.
