Medical Technology
A technology that allows the spread and level, as well as the outcome, of cancer to be diagnosed within a day may become available as early as next year.
According to the Gacheon University Gil Medical Center on September 3, a team of researchers that includes Professors Lee Bong-hee and Byun Kyung-hee, Ajou University Medical Center Professor Lee Ki-young, and Seoul National University Medical Center’s Professor Baek Sun-han has developed a molecular diagnosis method to determine a cancer’s progress and possible outcomes by specially staining a cancer patient’s proteins and locating them in the cancer cells to anticipate its future movements.
According to the research team, using the protein staining kit will allow the possibilities of cancer metastasis and outcomes, along with much more information, to be diagnosed within a day. Until now, only the biopsy method has been used to check whether or not a tumor is cancerous, which takes about a week.
Professor Lee Bong-hee said, “Commercialization is being discussed with a bio-oriented company and, if possible, it will be available in Korea as early as next year.” He explained, “It will soon be available for not only brain tumors, but also breast, colon, prostate, lung, and other areas’ tumors.”
This research has been supported by the National Cancer Center and the National Research Foundation of Korea and published in the genomics magazine Genome Research.