Monday 15 March 1999
Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research have developed a 'cancer chip' which will revolutionise the way cancer genes are discovered.
In the same time it takes to analyse 30 genes using traditional methods, the new cancer chip or DNA Microarray technology can analyse over 3,000 genes on a glass slide the size of a thumb.
The cancer chip is in the final stages of development by Dr Richard Wooster at the Institute of Cancer Research which is pioneering the use of DNA Microarray technology in cancer genetics.
Whilst the chip will be important to all cancer research, the Institute of Cancer Research will begin by applying the technology to prostate cancer. There is currently no conclusive test to predict which men with early prostate cancer tumours will go on to develop the aggressive, life-threatening form of the disease.
With Microarrays, researchers can analyse the differences between cells from non-aggressive and aggressive prostate cancer tumours. This knowledge could then be used to analyse samples from patients with early prostate cancer to predict which way their cancer will develop and help determine the best treatment.
The cancer chips are manufactured by using a robot to attach genes to a glass slide, with each gene present as an individual spot (each spot only measures 0.2mm in diameter). The next step is to extract genetic material from both cancer and non-cancer cells. This genetic material is labelled with a fluorescent coloured dye (for example red for cancer, and green for non-cancer cells), and 'washed over' the cancer chip. A laser is then scanned over the chip to detect the labels which become highlighted.
It is then possible to look at the genes highlighted in the cancer cells and compare them with those of the normal cells. The genes can be analysed further to see whether they play an active role in the development or progression of cancer.
Dr Richard Wooster commented: "Cancer chips effectively miniaturise existing techniques, allowing us to generate many more results and dramatically speed up the process of identifying genes which are different in cancer cells. The ability to read so much genetic information so quickly is pushing back the boundaries of cancer research."
Professor Colin Cooper, Development Director of the UK's first dedicated male cancer research centre at the Institute of Cancer Research said: "The cancer chip has many exciting applications for all cancers. To take prostate cancer as an example, although it kills over 11,000 men a year and cases have doubled in the last 20 years, we understand very little about the disease, and it receives very little funding.
No prostate cancer genes have yet been discovered. The cancer chip will help us to identify them more quickly. It will also help us to develop better diagnosis, compensating for the shortfalls in the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test which is the current method.
It should also be possible to look at patterns of gene alteration in the patient during treatment to monitor how the body is responding, and so adapt medication to the individual's needs. Overall, the chip will help us to understand the mechanism of cancer development which is what is so badly needed if we are to make greater progress in cancer research," he added.
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