Cheap blood test detects pancreatic cancer before it spreads : Smriti Mallapary / Nature

Article shared by John Gilmartin

This is great news, long long overdue, very low cost, heat stable, simple, now is time to move it through field testing.  

Note, not developed by one of our very large very profitable Rx firms, but by the Swiss national labs.  Hopefully, this will speed the test through field testing and introduction.

Pancreatic cancer has recently moved from a once unusual form to now being the Second most deadly cancer in the USA.  

John Gilmartin

Click here for the article

Summary

Researchers have developed a simple blood test to detect pancreatic cancer before it spreads, potentially improving early diagnosis and survival rates. The test uses nanosensors to detect specific enzymes called proteases, which are active in tumors from the early stages. When placed in a blood sample, these nanosensors release a fluorescent molecule if proteases are present, allowing researchers to measure their activity.

In a study using frozen blood samples from 356 individuals, the test correctly identified healthy individuals 98% of the time and detected pancreatic cancer with 73% accuracy, always distinguishing cancer from other pancreatic diseases. While sensitivity needs improvement for clinical use, experts see the test as a promising and translatable advancement in early cancer detection.