A research team led by Professor Yoon-Kyung Cho of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) announced that they have developed a technology called ‘EV-CLIP’ that can diagnose cancer mutations even with extremely small amounts of unprocessed plasma (yellow liquid from blood where red cells have settled) (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
ULSAN, South Korea, Feb. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — A team of South Korean researchers has developed a groundbreaking diagnostic technique that can detect lung cancer using only a few drops of blood.
Scientists at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) announced on February 13 that they have created EV-CLIP, a technology capable of diagnosing cancer mutations using minimal amounts of untreated plasma, the yellow liquid component of blood that remains after blood cells have settled.
The research was conducted in collaboration with teams from Chonnam National University Hospital, Pusan National University Hospital, and Inha University Hospital.
The diagnostic technique works by fusing nanovesicles (EV) from blood with artificial liposomes containing molecular beacons (CLIP) within tubes thinner than human hair. When molecular beacons encounter genetic mutation information materials such as mRNA or miRNA released by cancer cells, they emit fluorescent signals.
Using this method, cancer can be diagnosed with just 20 microliters of plasma – equivalent to about four or five drops of blood. The technology can not only detect specific cancer mutations but also aid in early cancer diagnosis and monitoring of residual cancer cells after treatment.
Unlike existing diagnostic methods, the new technique eliminates the need for complex preprocessing steps such as extracting nanovesicles from plasma or amplifying genetic material.
In clinical trials involving 83 patients, the diagnostic technology demonstrated 100% accuracy in identifying EGFR gene mutations, which are crucial for selecting lung cancer chemotherapy treatments. Researchers noted that the technique successfully detected mutations in stage 1-2 lung cancer patients, which were previously difficult to identify using conventional next-generation sequencing (NGS) based liquid biopsies.
The technology has been licensed to biotech startup LabSpinner, which plans to develop it into a diagnostic kit for convenient use in hospitals.
“We’ve opened a path to early cancer detection and treatment monitoring using just a few drops of blood,” said Cho Yoon-kyoung, a professor of biomedical engineering at UNIST. “This technology will enable accurate diagnosis while significantly reducing patients’ pain and burden.”
The research, supported by the Institute for Basic Science and the National Research Foundation of Korea, was featured as the cover article in the international nanoscience journal ACS Nano, published on February 11.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
