UW-Madison researchers found a better way to detect and treat cancer by utilizing two markers instead of one to target a common brain cancer, according to a Wednesday university news release.
Weibo Cai, an associate professor of radiology and medical physics in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, directed the team of researchers in searching for the correct two markers.
The team created antibodies specific to two proteins that often mark brain tumors. By removing unneeded sections of each antibody and assembling them with a reliable joint, the antibodies can bind to the target proteins.
A positron emission tomography, or PET, scanner, is then able to detect the tumors the molecules link to with a more intense signal than in conventional PET scans, according to the release.
The researchers’ work suggests ways to connect cancerous cells to a strong, quick-acting unit of radiation, Cai said in the release. This, according to Reinier Hernandez, co-first author of the research, could promote safer ways to treat cancer.
“The whole field is moving toward a more specific treatment, rather than chemotherapy, which can damage healthy tissue as well as tumors,” Hernandez said in the release.
The team published their research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last week.
