A recent study by scientists from Japanese universities has shown that the shape of cell-derived nanoparticles, known as “extracellular vesicles” (EVs), in body fluids could be a biomarker for identifying types of cancer.
In the study, the scientists successfully measured the shape distributions of EVs derived from liver, breast, and colorectal cancer cells, showing that the shape distributions differ from one another. The findings were recently published in the journal Analytical Chemistry.
Early detection of cancerous tumors in the body is essential for effective treatments. However, it is difficult to detect all types of tumors at an early stage, because detection methods differ among types of cancer, and some of the methods require painful medical procedures. It is thus vital to find methods that are painless and can detect multiple types of cancer.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are biological particles with a diameter of about 100 nanometers (nm) that are secreted from various cells and exist in body fluids like blood and urine. Notably, EVs contain biological molecules that carry information about the cells of the secretion sources. In addition, genetic materials contained in EVs are involved in communications among cells. This suggests that analyzing biological molecules in EVs present in body fluids could help to detect and identify some kinds of cancerous tumors in the body.
Previous studies had observed images of various shapes of EVs with electron microscopes. However, no technology existed to investigate the shapes of EVs distributed in body fluids, mainly because of difficulties in measuring the shape of nanomaterials in solution. In this context, a team of researchers from Kyushu University, Nagoya University, Osaka University, and Tokyo Medical University tried to investigate the shape of individual EVs in a fluid using a device that they had developed, which can analyze the shape of single particles in solution by measuring the change of ionic current flowing through pores of 200 nm in diameter when particles pass through there.
Using the device, the team successfully measured the shape of EVs derived from cultured liver, breast, and colon cancer cells, as well as from cultured normal breast cells, and found that their shape distributions differ from each other. For example, EVs derived from liver cancer cells include a mix of spherical particles and oval (like rugby balls) particles, whereas EVs from breast cancer cells consist solely of spherical particles.
News
Hundreds of AI tools have been built to catch covid – None of them helped
When covid-19 struck Europe in March 2020, hospitals were plunged into a health crisis that was still badly understood. “Doctors really didn’t have a clue how to manage these patients,” says Laure Wynants, an [...]
Two doses of Pfizer, AstraZeneca COVID-19 shots effective against delta variant, study finds
Pfizer found to be 88 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic disease from delta variant. Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca-Oxford's COVID-19 vaccines are nearly as effective against the highly transmissible delta coronavirus variant [...]
S.Africa’s Aspen releases first batch of Johnson vaccine
South African pharmaceutical company Aspen said Monday it was releasing its first batch of African-produced COVID-19 vaccines under a licensing deal with the US giant Johnson & Johnson. The Durban-based company said the first [...]
COVID-19 Variants: What the Future Could Look Like After the Pandemic
Since the coronavirus pandemic shut down the world, scientists have clamored to develop vaccines to prevent the spread and medicines that will cure the sick. But a virus’ main goal is to replicate and [...]
Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 will likely be dominant strain globally within months
The highly transmissible delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus causing the disease COVID-19, is now present in 124 countries and will become the dominant strain globally in the coming months as it is outcompeting [...]
UK scientists back Covid boosters as study finds post-jab falls in antibodies
Scientists have backed proposals for Covid boosters in the autumn after blood tests on hundreds of people revealed that protective antibodies can wane substantially within weeks of second vaccine shots being given. Falls in [...]
Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines establish recall responses to reinfection
Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna generate a coordinated adaptive immune response that is capable of eliciting recall [...]
Study shows new ‘warm vaccine’ effective against all key virus variants
CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, played an important role in evaluating heat-tolerant COVID-19 vaccine formulations developed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and biotech start-up Mynvax—against all current SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Published [...]
Podcast – Nanovisaging 2040 How Synergies between Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine, and AI might Benefit Humanity
Frank Boehm (NanoApps Medical Inc. Founder) in discussion with Nana Kay in a Wealth Secrets podcast. EP 19. Nanovisaging 2040. From Nana Kay: Nanovisaging 2040: How Synergies between Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine, and AI might Benefit [...]
Data in favour of mixing COVID-19 vaccines, but long-term effects unknown
Canada, like several other countries, has been mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines for weeks amid safety concerns over the AstraZeneca shot. On Monday, the chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned against that approach, calling [...]
CRISPR stops coronavirus replication in human cells
Scientists have harnessed CRISPR gene-editing technology to block the replication of the novel coronavirus in human cells — an approach that could one day serve as a new treatment for COVID-19. However, the study was performed [...]
Controlling the Size of Nanoparticles
Depositing nanoparticles using the NL50 is now simpler than ever with the pre-loaded optimized recipes for a variety of frequently used materials, including Au, Ag, Pt and Cu. These optimized recipes generate high-quality nano-coatings [...]
Shape of Nanoparticles in Body Fluids – a Biomarker for Identifying Cancer Types?
A recent study by scientists from Japanese universities has shown that the shape of cell-derived nanoparticles, known as "extracellular vesicles" (EVs), in body fluids could be a biomarker for identifying types of cancer. In [...]
Study reveals how our immune system reacts to COVID-19 variants
An important lesson for vaccine design Australian scientists researching how our immune system responds to COVID-19 have revealed that those infected by early variants in 2020 produced sustained antibodies, however, these antibodies are not [...]
COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 8 July
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 185 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 4 million. More than 3.29 [...]
Here’s what you should know about the Lambda variant
The World Health Organization (WHO) has added another COVID strain to its list of coronavirus variants to keep an eye on: the COVID-19 Lambda variant. This particular variant has now spread to more than two dozen [...]
