Microdevice Detects Gliomas In Less Than 15 Minutes

The microdevice can detect a specific mutation linked to brain or spinal cord tumors, potentially enabling accurate removal of the entire tumor during an operation.

AsianScientist (Oct. 20, 2016) – A research team in Japan has developed a device for quick, accurate identification of a mutation strongly associated with a cancer that affects the central nervous system—potentially enabling accurate removal of the entire tumor during an operation. Their work was published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

Gliomas are tumors occurring in the brain or spinal cord. They are difficult to treat as they lack clear edges, which complicates full surgical removal. However, previous findings have identified a particular mutation very common in gliomas but rare in other cancers and in normal tissue.

Researchers centered at Nagoya University have now developed a micro-sized device that can determine whether a sample is positive for the mutation in less than 15 minutes. The immuno-wall microdevice potentially allows surgeons to identify the specific type of brain tumor and delineate its margin, in real time during surgery—enabling full removal, while sparing normal brain tissue.

The device features a chip with an attached highly specific antibody, HMab-2, produced by Professor Yukinari Kato at Tohoku University. The antibody binds to the protein produced by the gene in which the mutation has occurred. When a sample containing the mutated protein is added to the device, the protein binds to the antibody, which is then marked out by fluorescence. In contrast, if the sample is from normal tissue without this mutation, or is from a tumor other than a glioma, no fluorescence occurs.

Furthermore, the small sample size required for the device reduces the invasiveness of sample harvesting. Alternatively, sampling could even involve only obtaining blood or cerebrospinal fluid, rather than removing brain tissue, making the procedure even less invasive.

“The immuno-wall determines whether a sample is positive for a specific mutation in the isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 gene, which is present in around 70–80 percent of grade II and III gliomas,” coauthor Dr. Toshihiro Kasama said.



The article can be found at: Yamamichi et al. (2016) An Immuno-wall Microdevice Exhibits Rapid and Sensitive Detection of IDH1-R132H Mutation Specific to Grade II and III Gliomas.

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Source: Nagoya University.
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