TASS: AltSU scientists developed a method for detecting breast cancer at an early stage

9 June 2020 Department of Information and Media Communications
The federal news agency TASS published about the staff of the Russian-American Anti-Cancer Center (RAACC) of Altai State University, who in collaboration with Altai Regional Oncologic Dispensary and Altai State Medical University, developed a unique technique for detecting breast cancer using immunosignature technology that will help detect cancer at an early stage.

At the next stage, scientists will work out detection of other types of cancer, said Head of the Russian-American Anti-Cancer Center Andrey Shapoval in an interview with TASS.

The Immunosignature technology is a method of early diagnosis of cancer by a drop of blood, developed by American scientists: the patient’s blood is applied to a  120,000-peptide array, and the interaction of antibodies with the peptides is analyzed. To diagnose cancer, scientists compare the antibodies in the blood serum of healthy people and cancer patients. Scientists have been conducting joint research in this direction in Altai Krai and the USA since 2013 - then the Russian-American Anti-Cancer Center was created.

“We have identified peptides that can be used to diagnose breast cancer. We looked at one nosology, and now we will look at others - lung cancer, possibly prostate cancer. This technology allows to identify cancer before symptoms occur” explained Shapoval.

According to the scientist, the essence of the research is that any molecular changes are immediately reflected in the immune system, it begins to produce antibodies, and with different diseases they also differ. The task was to decipher this signal and understand which antibodies are produced, in this case, with breast cancer. The arrays created by scientists in Arizona have120 thousand peptides with random amino acid sequences, and when the blood serum interacts with some of them, antibodies interact. RAACC scientists have identified 119 peptides that can clearly tell if there is breast cancer.

Andrei Shapoval explained that now the Center, together with Altai State Medical University and Altai Regional Oncologic Dispensary, is processing a patent for an array of 119 informative peptides - test systems.

There is no prototype yet, but the work is underway to create it, it is planned that this will make research easier and cheaper than with arrays. In addition, RAACC is currently working with the Federal Scientific Center for Resuscitation and Rehabilitation (Moscow) - they are not interested in cancer, but in critical conditions during sepsis and what causes them.

“We tested the sera that were obtained from patients with sepsis - a peculiar immunosignature was also revealed, which can tell whether sepsis with any complications will be more severe. If the patient has sepsis with complications, this requires special treatment protocols. In this regard, we are expanding the topic: the same technology - the disease is different” Shapoval summed up.

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