Indian scientists have created a method to identify tiny pouches coated in sugar molecules released by malignant cells to aid in the early detection of colon cancer.

The tiny sacs, known as extracellular vesicles (EV), which are coated in sugar molecules, are known as hyaluronan (HA), which directly correlates to tumor aggressiveness. These EVs are widely distributed in bodily fluids, including blood and feces, and even all different kinds of cells produce these EVs in the extracellular matrix. For the non-invasive early detection of cancer, these EVs could be extracted from a patients body.

With the help of an INSPIRE Faculty Grant from the science and technology division at the Delhi-based Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence, Dr. Tatini Rakshits lab, in conjunction with the IIT-Bhilai, the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, the SN Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, and others, has determined the contour lengths of hyaluronan on a single cancer cell-derived EV surface with the help of single-molecule force spectroscopy.

These results demonstrate how sugar-coated pouches raise the risk of cancer development and the study has been published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. (ETHealthWorld, September 24, 2022)

https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/indian-experts-develop-way-for-early-detection-of-colon-cancer/94411754