With our funding, scientists in Cambridge have created a urine test that can detect some of the first signs of lung cancer.
The test, which identifies ‘zombie’ cells that can clear a path for cancers to emerge, is the first of its kind anywhere in the world.
The researchers behind the technology, led by Professor Ljiljana Fruk and Dr Daniel Munoz Espin at the University of Cambridge, believe it could help doctors spot lung cancer at its very earliest stages. That would mean patients get treatments sooner, giving them a better chance of overcoming the disease.
So far, the researchers have proved that their urine test works in mice. Soon, they hope to begin trialling it in humans. After that, it could play an important part in changing the fact that lung cancer is usually diagnosed after it has begun to grow and spread, when doctors have fewer options for treating it.
We powered the research, which is happening across the University of Cambridge’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology and new Early Cancer Institute, with a grant of £88,000.
Credit: Tim Gunn – CRUK