Cancerous Tissue Marker

About

Introduction: Early diagnosis of cancer often allow for more treatment options and an increased chance of survival for patients. In 2018, 18.1 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed globally, imposing a substantial health and economic burden on numerous families. Therefore, it is important for scientists and researchers to accurately detect cancerous tissues in samples and identify biomarkers. MALDI imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) is a novel but maturing technology that allows for direct examination of tissue biopsies without the need for lengthy sample preparation prior to analysis. MALDI-IMS is a promising tool for accurately identifying protein biomarkers from biopsies without destroying the tissue samples. Technology: Georgia State University researchers developed a boronolectin-MS tag conjugate, which allows for MALDI-based detection of cancer-based on imaging its cell surface carbohydrates. This conjugate targets sialyl Lewis X (also known as CD15, a glycan found on cell surfaces) which is present in many common types of cancers, including blood cancers and those which are prone to metastasize. This conjugate can then be used as a mass spectrometric probe for histological work on cancer tissues expressing the target carbohydrate using MALDI-IMS. Compared with protein-based targeting molecules, small molecules such as this boronolectin-MS tag have the advantage of excellent stability, easy storage, well-defined conjugation chemistry, and compatibility with organic solvents in sample preparation and tissue handling. Currently, in vitro data are available for validation.