Bioinformatics Tool to Identify Chromosomal Alterations in Tumor Cells Can Improve Cancer Diagnosis
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 25 Mar 2024 |
|
.jpg "Image: Toroidal nuclei marked in magenta and micronuclei in green (Photo courtesy of IRB Barcelona)")
Chromosomal instability is a common characteristic in solid tumors, playing a crucial role in the start, progression, and spread of cancer. This condition arises from alterations in the chromosome number and structure during cell division, leading to DNA changes and impacts on cellular functions. Furthermore, chromosomal instability contributes to tumor development and progression, increases tumor diversity, and fosters resistance to cancer treatments. Now, a new bioinformatics tool that can identify these chromosomal alterations characteristic of cancer cells could improve diagnosis and help design personalized treatment plans.
This new detection system, known as QATS (QuAntification of Toroidal nuclei in biological imageS), has been designed by a research team from the University of Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain) and IRB Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain). This computational biological imaging processing tool can improve tumor research and classification by automatically identifying and quantifying the phenotypes associated with chromosomal instability in the nuclei of cancer cells. QATS focuses on detecting and quantifying toroidal nuclei, which are new biomarkers of chromosomal instability, in biological images. Unlike normal nuclei, toroidal nuclei are phenotypically different as they have a ring-like shape with a void containing cytosolic material. Recognized recently as critical biomarkers for chromosomal instability, toroidal nuclei offer a new avenue for understanding and combating cancer.
Until now, the assessment of chromosomal instability in cancer cells has been primarily based on quantifying micronuclei, which are irregular structures derived from the cell nucleus that may contain chromosomes or chromosomal fragments. By introducing the assessment of toroidal nuclei into both research and clinical settings, there is significant potential for improving tumor classification and developing treatments tailored to individual patients. The QATS system has already proven effective in preclinical studies involving cancer cell lines by demonstrating its capability to identify and quantify toroidal nuclei accurately.
“In the future, the application of QATS in more complex biological scenarios — human tissue samples from patient biopsies — will represent a breakthrough for the scientific and medical communities to improve cancer diagnosis and patient treatment”, concluded the researchers.
Related Links:
University of Barcelona
IRB Barcelona
Latest Pathology News
- Novel UV and Machine Learning-Aided Method Detects Microbial Contamination in Cell Cultures
- New Error-Corrected Method to Help Detect Cancer from Blood Samples Alone
- "Metal Detector" Algorithm Hunts Down Vulnerable Tumors
- Novel Technique Uses ‘Sugar’ Signatures to Identify and Classify Pancreatic Cancer Cell Subtypes
- Advanced Imaging Reveals Mechanisms Causing Autoimmune Disease
- AI Model Effectively Predicts Patient Outcomes in Common Lung Cancer Type
- AI Model Predicts Patient Response to Bladder Cancer Treatment
- New Laser-Based Method to Accelerate Cancer Diagnosis
- New AI Model Predicts Gene Variants’ Effects on Specific Diseases
- Powerful AI Tool Diagnoses Coeliac Disease from Biopsy Images with Over 97% Accuracy
- Pre-Analytical Conditions Influence Cell-Free MicroRNA Stability in Blood Plasma Samples
- 3D Cell Culture System Could Revolutionize Cancer Diagnostics
- Painless Technique Measures Glucose Concentrations in Solution and Tissue Via Sound Waves
- Skin-Based Test to Improve Diagnosis of Rare, Debilitating Neurodegenerative Disease
- Serum Uromodulin Could Indicate Acute Kidney Injury in COVID-19 Patients
- AI Model Reveals True Biological Age From Five Drops of Blood
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
‘Brilliantly Luminous’ Nanoscale Chemical Tool to Improve Disease Detection
Thousands of commercially available glowing molecules known as fluorophores are commonly used in medical imaging, disease detection, biomarker tagging, and chemical analysis. They are also integral in... Read more
Low-Cost Portable Screening Test to Transform Kidney Disease Detection
Millions of individuals suffer from kidney disease, which often remains undiagnosed until it has reached a critical stage. This silent epidemic not only diminishes the quality of life for those affected... Read more
New Method Uses Pulsed Infrared Light to Find Cancer's 'Fingerprints' In Blood Plasma
Cancer diagnoses have traditionally relied on invasive or time-consuming procedures like tissue biopsies. Now, new research published in ACS Central Science introduces a method that utilizes pulsed infrared... Read more
Molecular Diagnostics
view channel
Blood Biomarker Test Could Detect Genetic Predisposition to Alzheimer’s
New medications for Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, are now becoming available. These treatments, known as “amyloid antibodies,” work by promoting the removal of small deposits from... Read more
Novel Autoantibody Against DAGLA Discovered in Cerebellitis
Autoimmune cerebellar ataxias are strongly disabling disorders characterized by an impaired ability to coordinate muscle movement. Cerebellar autoantibodies serve as useful biomarkers to support rapid... Read more
Gene-Based Blood Test Accurately Predicts Tumor Recurrence of Advanced Skin Cancer
Melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer, becomes extremely difficult to treat once it spreads to other parts of the body. For patients with metastatic melanoma tumors that cannot be surgically removed... Read more
Hematology
view channel
New Scoring System Predicts Risk of Developing Cancer from Common Blood Disorder
Clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS) is a blood disorder commonly found in older adults, characterized by mutations in blood cells and a low blood count, but without any obvious cause or... Read more
Non-Invasive Prenatal Test for Fetal RhD Status Demonstrates 100% Accuracy
In the United States, approximately 15% of pregnant individuals are RhD-negative. However, in about 40% of these cases, the fetus is also RhD-negative, making the administration of RhoGAM unnecessary.... Read more
Immunology
view channel
Stem Cell Test Predicts Treatment Outcome for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer
Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently responds to chemotherapy initially, but eventually, the tumor develops resistance to the therapy, leading to regrowth. This resistance is partially due to the activation... Read more
Machine Learning-Enabled Blood Test Predicts Immunotherapy Response in Lymphoma Patients
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has emerged as one of the most promising recent developments in the treatment of blood cancers. However, over half of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients... Read more
Microbiology
view channel
Handheld Device Delivers Low-Cost TB Results in Less Than One Hour
Tuberculosis (TB) remains the deadliest infectious disease globally, affecting an estimated 10 million people annually. In 2021, about 4.2 million TB cases went undiagnosed or unreported, mainly due to... Read more
New AI-Based Method Improves Diagnosis of Drug-Resistant Infections
Drug-resistant infections, particularly those caused by deadly bacteria like tuberculosis and staphylococcus, are rapidly emerging as a global health emergency. These infections are more difficult to treat,... Read more
Breakthrough Diagnostic Technology Identifies Bacterial Infections with Almost 100% Accuracy within Three Hours
Rapid and precise identification of pathogenic microbes in patient samples is essential for the effective treatment of acute infectious diseases, such as sepsis. The fluorescence in situ hybridization... Read more
Technology
view channel
Disposable Microchip Technology Could Selectively Detect HIV in Whole Blood Samples
As of the end of 2023, approximately 40 million people globally were living with HIV, and around 630,000 individuals died from AIDS-related illnesses that same year. Despite a substantial decline in deaths... Read more
Pain-On-A-Chip Microfluidic Device Determines Types of Chronic Pain from Blood Samples
Chronic pain is a widespread condition that remains difficult to manage, and existing clinical methods for its treatment rely largely on self-reporting, which can be subjective and especially problematic... Read more
Innovative, Label-Free Ratiometric Fluorosensor Enables More Sensitive Viral RNA Detection
Viruses present a major global health risk, as demonstrated by recent pandemics, making early detection and identification essential for preventing new outbreaks. While traditional detection methods are... Read more
Industry
view channel
Cepheid and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Partner on Advancing Automated Sequencing-Based Solutions
Cepheid (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a leading molecular diagnostics company, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK), the company behind a new generation of sequencing-based molecular analysis technologies,... Read more
Grifols and Tecan’s IBL Collaborate on Advanced Biomarker Panels
Grifols (Barcelona, Spain), one of the world’s leading producers of plasma-derived medicines and innovative diagnostic solutions, is expanding its offer in clinical diagnostics through a strategic partnership... Read more
