Kalyssa Platt | November 20th, 2024
Early detection of cancer can decrease mortality rates drastically: the 10-year survival rate of the 8 common cancers is over 90% for people whose cancer is diagnosed at stage 1, yet it plummets to just 5% for those diagnosed at stage 4. Thus, early detection of disease is crucial for improving patient outcomes by preventing disease progression and optimizing treatment options.
Current early disease detection methods
Currently, there are some cancer screening tests that can effectively reduce mortality rates of specific cancers through early detection. These tests include mammography for breast cancer, HPV and Pap testing for cervical cancer, stool-based tests for colorectal cancer, and low-dose CT scanning for lung cancer.
Xiaoguang Dong and his research team’s discoveries
Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt Xiaoguang Dong and his research team have developed a technology that could be extremely beneficial to early diagnosis. The team’s work focuses on sampling body fluids, which are rich in biomarkers that are essential for understanding various diseases. Their innovative solution, which was recently featured in Science Advances, involves using wireless, millimeter-scale mobile robots designed to navigate narrow, hard-to-reach areas of the body, thus overcoming the spatial limitations of traditional sampling methods.
Bodily fluids like blood, pancreatic juice, urine, and mucus are important in understanding various diseases. These fluids can provide valuable insights into chemical composition, biomarkers, bacterial colonies, and other information that can help detect disease. This information can not only help detect health conditions but also understand the development of diseases like cancer in different stages. In the future, it will hopefully be able to determine whether someone is susceptible to a disease that would be devastating if detected late.
The challenge of sampling these fluids in narrow, hard-to-reach areas of the body has long hindered progress in disease detection. Traditional methods often rely on larger instruments that cannot navigate confined spaces effectively. Dong and his team, however, have created soft capsules made from hydrogel and elastomer hybrids that can be controlled by external magnetic fields. These capsules can be delivered and retrieved through thin catheters, allowing them to navigate tubular structures that are typically inaccessible.
Future implications
This research demonstrates significant implications for the progression of early disease detection methods, which will in turn have an overall positive effect on health outcomes of populations that have access to this testing. This technology can specifically help with detection of pancreatic cancers in asymptomatic patients through collecting bile and pancreatic juices, which is significant because pancreatic cancer is particularly aggressive and often late-diagnosed. According to the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, with a five-year survival rate of only about 13%.
The applications of this technology also extend beyond cancer detection. For instance, the ability to sample these bodily fluids could improve the detection of diseases like inflammatory bowel disease by detecting fluids that contain microbiota associated with its development. Ultimately, the innovative work being done by Dong and his team represents a promising leap forward in the early detection of diseases, potentially transforming patient outcomes by focusing on preventative and proactive care.
Cover photo courtesy of Isabella Bautista
References
Detect Cancers Early—National Cancer Plan (nciglobal,ncienterprise). (2023, April 3).
[cgvArticle]. https://nationalcancerplan.cancer.gov/goals/detect-cancers-early
Early Detection. (2019, September 6). MITA.
https://www.medicalimaging.org/medical-imaging/principle-details/early-detection
Sep 11, L. J., 2024, & Pm, 6:10. (n.d.). Novel technology enabling sampling of liquids in
confined spaces could aid early detection of cancer. Vanderbilt University. Retrieved October 8, 2024, from https://engineering.vanderbilt.edu/2024/09/11/novel-technology-enabling-sampling-of-liquids-in-confined-spaces-could-aid-early-detection-of-cancer
Survival Rates for Pancreatic Cancer. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2024, from
Xiaoguang Dong et al. Millimeter-scale soft capsules for sampling liquids in fluid-filled confined spaces.Sci. Adv.10,eadp2758(2024). DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adp2758