TOKYO A simple, fast and inexpensive way to detect early-stage cancers could hit the market in as little as five years.

The technology, which works by testing for cancer-specific protein markers in the blood, was developed by a team led by Kobe University Professor Toshifumi Takeuchi. His team has partnered with Tokyo-based medical equipment company System Instruments to commercialize the system.

Rather than expensive antibodies, the new method uses an inexpensive polymer material that is packed around a sample of the target protein to create a nanometer-sized mold in a process akin to molecular imprinting.

This mold interacts in lock-and-key fashion with the target protein. If the protein is present in a sample of blood, it fits into the opening of the mold, activating a fluorescent material.

Testing for cancer in this way takes minutes instead of the hours required for antibody-based detection. Takeuchi said he expects the cost of the device can be kept down to just a few dollars, which is about a hundredth the cost of antibody-dependent devices.

Takeuchi collaborated with Kwansei Gakuin University Professor Keiko Tawa to enhance the fluorescence of the detection material and to develop a chip covered in an array of molds to detect the target protein. When light is shined on the chip, the fluorescent material will emit light that is five to 10 times brighter if the target cancer marker is present.

In tests to detect the presence of the AFP protein, a marker for liver cancer, in human blood, the method proved to be quick, easy and just as sensitive as the standard antibody-based test.

Moreover, the mold-making technique can be used to fashion tests for a wide variety of cancer markers, and even to design allergy tests.

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Nanotech molds promise faster, cheaper cancer detection - Nikkei Asian Review