University of Otago biochemistry post-doctoral fellow Dr Judy Ann Cocadiz recently received a $300,000 Cancer Society research grant over three years, to develop a core component for a small device that can capture tiny pieces of genetic material.
The material is called circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) and is released into the bloodstream by cancer cells.
She said the device would be designed to be temporarily inserted into a blood vessel for about 30 minutes, allowing it to directly collect ctDNA, which can then be analysed for signs of cancer.
"I’m working with a 3-D bioprinter which can help us print something really small — something as small as a grain of rice — and hopefully we can make it bind the circulating tumour DNA.
"The device’s surface will be treated to improve its ability to capture ctDNA more effectively.
"We’d put it through a syringe, and it will just sit there, and then it will passively sample your blood for the circulating tumour DNA."
The device would then be retrieved and the captured ctDNA would be analysed, she said.
"Since ctDNA is coming from the cancer cell itself, it’s got all the mutations, all the characteristics.
"We’ll actually be able to tell whether it’s cancer or not and if it is, we can determine what type it is and it’s origin.
"So, we could say it is coming from the breast or the stomach or something like that."
Dr Cocadiz said the technology could help doctors detect cancers in much earlier stages and monitor for any remaining or recurring cancer after treatment without needing to take blood samples.
"It could be particularly useful for detecting cancer in children, where only small blood samples can be taken."
The innovation was inspired by problems with diagnosing cancer — mainly that there was not always enough material to analyse, she said.
"With early-stage cancers, with all the biomarkers — not just ctDNA — there’s not a lot of it in the blood.
"What we’re hoping with my device, is to get more ctDNA to analyse, so that the analysis we can do is more accurate, more precise.
"Once you’re able to get those rare DNA fragments, you’re going to be able to say, ‘Oh, this person has got cancer. What can we do now? We can maybe start treatment earlier or do curative surgery’.
"Because sometimes if it’s early-stage and we can do surgery, it’s not just treatable, it could be curable."
Her research project is among many across the University of Otago, funded to the tune of more than $4.7 million by the Cancer Society.
On May 2, Dr Cocadiz will participate in the Relay for Life, hosted by the Cancer Society Otago at Forsyth Barr Stadium, which aims to raise more than $200,000 to continue its support of cancer research, prevention and patient services across Otago.
She said it was her first time participating in the event and was using most of her spare time training for it.
