{"id":8434,"date":"2017-10-25T09:45:19","date_gmt":"2017-10-25T15:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/canadianglycomics.ca\/?p=8434"},"modified":"2019-08-01T10:35:34","modified_gmt":"2019-08-01T16:35:34","slug":"using-undercover-molecular-probes-to-detect-breast-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianglycomics.ca\/fr\/using-undercover-molecular-probes-to-detect-breast-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Using \u2018undercover\u2019 molecular probes to detect breast cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

A GlycoNet researcher has developed specialized molecules that will allow for more accurate and precise detection of breast cancer, by having the molecules pose as sugars.<\/p>\n

\u201cBreast cancer cells often express a protein called GLUT-5, which is responsible for bringing the sugar fructose into the cell. Normal breast cells don\u2019t use fructose \u2013 breast cancer cells use fructose,\u201d explains Dr. Frederick West, a professor in chemistry at the University of Alberta.<\/p>\n

West has harnessed this difference between breast cancer cells and normal breast cells to develop a molecular probe that will pose as fructose.<\/p>\n

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Frederick West, photo courtesy of University of Alberta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re able to modify a molecule so that it can somehow report that it\u2019s there, and have that molecule still be recognized as if it were fructose, then that molecule will accumulate selectively in cancer cells and not in normal cells.\u201d<\/p>\n

West has been successful in developing several analogues for fructose and has a molecule he is hoping to get into clinical trials in the near future. As these molecules accumulate in the breast cancer cells, they can then be detected using positron emission tomography (PET) scanning.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the tumour has taken in a lot of the molecule, then you can detect the tumour in the presence of the normal tissue,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

West explains that this technology would improve upon current breast cancer detection methods in several ways.  On one hand, it would detect tumours in cases where it cannot be detected with current methods, leading to false negatives On the other, it could prevent false positives as this technology would not incorrectly identify inflammation in PET scans, which can happen with current technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that compound works as we expect it to, then it really adds another tool to the radio-oncologist\u2019s set of methods to detect cancer that\u2019s complementary to the existing methods, and will potentially allow for the earlier detection of cancer in Canadian patients,\u201d West says.<\/p>\n

West is hoping to expand with a clinical trial and potentially the commercialization of this technology. For now, he\u2019s pleased with the support and collaboration of GlycoNet as he continues to develop this technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cGlycoNet offers a number of benefits and we\u2019ve tapped into some of them,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a community of scientists who bring together complementary skill sets and so I\u2019ve already developed a number of important collaborations\u2026 that\u2019s probably going to lead to some very exciting new directions.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A GlycoNet researcher has developed specialized molecules that will allow for more accurate and precise detection of breast cancer, by having the molecules pose as sugars. \u201cBreast cancer cells often express a protein called GLUT-5, which is responsible for bringing the sugar fructose into the cell. Normal breast cells don\u2019t use fructose \u2013 breast cancer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11507,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[203],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-highlight","wpbf-post"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t