Cancer screening with multicancer detection tests: A translational science review.

Multicancer detection (MCD) tests use a single, easily obtainable biospecimen, such as blood, to screen for more than one cancer concurrently. MCD tests can potentially be used to improve early cancer detection, including cancers that currently lack effective screening methods. However, these tests have unknown and unquantified benefits and harms. MCD tests differ from conventional cancer screening tests in that the organ responsible for a positive test is unknown, and a broad diagnostic workup may be necessary to confirm the location and type of underlying cancer. Among two prospective studies involving greater than 16,000 individuals, MCD tests identified those who had some cancers without currently recommended screening tests, including pancreas, ovary, liver, uterus, small intestine, oropharyngeal, bone, thyroid, and hematologic malignancies, at early stages. Reported MCD test sensitivities range from 27% to 95% but differ by organ and are lower for early stage cancers, for which treatment toxicity would be lowest and the potential for cure might be highest. False reassurance from a negative MCD result may reduce screening adherence, risking a loss in proven public health benefits from standard-of-care screening. Prospective clinical trials are needed to address uncertainties about MCD accuracy to detect different cancers in asymptomatic individuals, whether these tests can detect cancer sufficiently early for effective treatment and mortality reduction, the degree to which these tests may contribute to cancer overdiagnosis and overtreatment, whether MCD tests work equally well across all populations, and the appropriate diagnostic evaluation and follow-up for patients with a positive test.

The National Cancer Institute Investment in Biomechanics in Oncology Research.

The qualitative description of tumors feeling stiffer than surrounding normal tissue has been long appreciated in the clinical setting. These empirical observations have been corroborated by the precise measurement and characterization of mechanical properties of cancerous tissues. Much of the advancement in our understanding of mechanics in oncology has been enabled by the development of innovative technologies designed to probe cells and tissues as well as integrative software analysis tools that facilitate biological interpretation and generation of testable hypotheses. While some mechanics in oncology research has been investigator-initiated and supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), several NCI programs described herein have helped to foster the growth of the burgeoning field. Programs highlighted in this chapter include Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT), Physical Sciences-Oncology Network (PS-ON), Tumor Microenvironment Network (TMEN), Integrative Cancer Biology Program (ICBP), and the Cancer Systems Biology Consortium (CSBC). This chapter showcases the scientific contributions of these programs to the field of biomechanics in oncology.

NCI investment in nanotechnology: achievements and challenges for the future.

Nanotechnology offers an exceptional and unique opportunity for developing a new generation of tools addressing persistent challenges to progress in cancer research and clinical care. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recognizes this potential, which is why it invests roughly $150 M per year in nanobiotechnology training, research and development. By exploiting the various capacities of nanomaterials, the range of nanoscale vectors and probes potentially available suggests much is possible for precisely investigating, manipulating, and targeting the mechanisms of cancer across the full spectrum of research and clinical care. NCI has played a key role among federal R&D agencies in recognizing early the value of nanobiotechnology in medicine and committing to its development as well as providing training support for new investigators in the field. These investments have allowed many in the research community to pursue breakthrough capabilities that have already yielded broad benefits. Presented here is an overview of how NCI has made these investments with some consideration of how it will continue to work with this research community to pursue paradigm-changing innovations that offer relief from the burdens of cancer.

Before you analyze a human specimen, think quality, variability, and bias.

Personalized medicine requires capabilities to detect and measure health-associated biomarkers with increasingly specific and sensitive methods, putting analytical chemists at the front lines of translational research. Analytical scientists must be upstream in the experimental design process because the analysis of a biospecimen (tissue, blood, etc.) presents technical and experimental design complexities. (To listen to a podcast about this feature, please go to the Analytical Chemistry multimedia page at pubs.acs.org/page/ancham/audio/index.html.).

An investigation of antibody immobilization methods employing organosilanes on planar ZnO surfaces for biosensor applications.

One critical aspect for the development of label-free immunosensors is the employment of highly uniform and repeatable antibody immobilization techniques. In this study, we investigated the use of two different silane molecules (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (GPS), and (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MTS) for the immobilization of fluorescently labeled IgG antibodies on planar ZnO surfaces. The chemical modification of the surfaces was investigated using water contact angle measurements, AFM, and fluorescence microscopy. The results of the water contact angle measurements indicate increased surface hydrophobicity after treatment with GPS and MTS as compared to the control. Surface modification was further verified through AFM measurements which demonstrate an increased surface roughness and particle height after treatment with antibodies. The results of the fluorescence studies indicate that the immobilization protocol employing MTS produced 21% higher fluorescence on average with greater uniformity than the GPS-based protocol, which indicates a higher overall density in antibody coverage on the surface of the ZnO. Acoustic sensor tests were employed to confirm the functionality of sensors treated with the MTS protocol. The results indicate that the immobilization protocol imparts sensitivity and specificity to the ZnO-based devices.

Lateral field excitation (LFE) of thickness shear mode (TSM) acoustic waves in thin film bulk acoustic resonators (FBAR) as a potential biosensor.

Lateral field excitation (LFE) of a thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) is an ideal platform for biomedical sensors. A thickness shear mode (TSM) acoustic wave in a piezoelectric thin film is desirable for probing liquid samples because of the poor coupling of shear waves into the liquid. The resonator becomes an effective sensor by coating the surface with a bio- or chemi-specific layer. Perturbations of the surface can be detected by monitoring the resonance condition. Furthermore, FBARs can be easily fabricated to operate at higher frequencies, yielding greater sensitivity. An array of sensors offers the possibility of redundancy, allowing for statistical decision making as well as immediate corroboration of results. Array structures also offer the possibility of signature detection, by monitoring multiple targets in a sample simultaneously. This technology has immediate application to cancer and infectious disease diagnostics and also could serve as a tool for general proteomic research.