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INDUSTRY NEWS
Monash University Engineers Unlock Avenue for Early Cancer Diagnosis
Source: Sally Wood
Monash University engineers
have unlocked the door to earlier detection of cancer with a world- first study identifying a potential new testing method that could save millions of lives.
Researchers found that a sensor, using new, more sensitive materials, to look
for key markers of disease in the body increased detection by up to 10,000 times.
Associate Professor Qiaoliang Bao from Monash University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, along with research colleagues at universities
in China, found that antimonene, a 2D material, has an improved sensitivity when compared to the graphene, in the detection of DNA and MicroRNA molecules related to cancer.
The study, published recently in the prestigious international science journal, Nature Communication, provides a significant advancement in the detection of biomarkers MicroRNA-21 and MicroRNA-155, which are found in many tumours that lead to pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, triple-negative breast cancer and osteosarcoma.
MicroRNA are small molecules which are
emerging as ideal non-invasive biomarkers for applications in toxicology, diagnosis and monitoring treatment responses for adverse events. Biomarkers have the potential to predict, diagnose and monitor diseases, such as cancer, but are difficult
to detect.
“The detection of tumour-specific circulating MicroRNA at an ultrahigh sensitivity is of utmost significance for the early diagnosis and monitoring of cancer,” said Associate Professor Bao.
“Unfortunately, MicroRNA detection remains challenging because they are present at low levels and comprise less than 0.01% of the total RNA mass in a given sample. Therefore, new approaches are urgently needed for clinical disease diagnosis.”
Researchers developed a Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) sensor using antimonene materials and performed a number
of studies to detect the biomarkers MicroRNA-21 and MicroRNA-155.
Findings show the new detection limit can reach 10 aM, which is 2.3 to 10,000 times better than existing MicroRNA sensors.
Associate Professor Bao said this world- first study, using antimonene materials for clinical advancement, constitutes an
opportunity for future research into the development of sensors and systems to be used in early cancer diagnosis.
Figures by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that an estimated 141,538 cases of cancer were diagnosed in Australia last year, with that number set to rise to nearly 150,000 by 2020.
“Antimonene has quickly attracted the attention of the scientific community because its physicochemical properties are superior to those of typical 2D materials like graphene and black phosphorous,” said Associate Professor Bao.
“The combination of antimonene with SPR architecture provides a low-cost and non- destructive improvement in the detection of MicroRNA, which could ultimately help millions of people, globally, by improving early diagnosis of cancer.”
The research was conducted through FLEET (The Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technology) – a collaboration of more than 100 researchers at seven Australian universities and 13 Australian and international science organisations
– in addition to researchers at Shenzhen University, Jilin University and Wuhan University.
FLEET is dedicated to addressing the
most pressing contemporary challenge – reducing the energy used in information technology. The energy produced in this pursuit already accounts for 8% of the electricity use on Earth and that number is going to double every 10 years.
Moore’s Law (that the number of transistors on chips will double every year while costs will also be halved) will come to an end. It will end because silicon-based technology will stop being efficient over the next decade.
This challenge will be met by developing new forms of electronic conduction without resistance in solid-state systems
at room temperature. These developments will allow for lower energy consumption per computation, by developing new switching devices (transistors), which are reliant on the new science of materials that are anatomically thin.
Associate Professor Qiaoliang Bao has found that antimonene, a 2D material, has an improved sensitivity, when compared to graphene, in the detection of DNA and MicroRNA molecules related to cancer
20 | APRIL 2019
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