MicroRNAs based blood assay for early detection of colorectal cancer
Mr Muhammad Imran Aslam, Clinical Research Fellow
University of Leicester
Co-researchers: Dr. James Howard Pringle, Mr. Baljit Singh, Mr. John Stuart Jameson
Project summary
Over 100 new cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed every day in the UK. Unfortunately, more than half these patients have advanced disease at the time of detection. Early detection of bowel cancer by screening reduces cancer- related mortality.
Currently, there is a national bowel cancer screening programme in place. The screening test used (faecal occult blood testing) lacks the desired convenience and accuracy leading to a significant number of unnecessary invasive tests and missed diagnoses.
Researchers have shown that different diseases, including cancers, are associated with a unique fingerprint of genetic material (called microRNAs) in the blood. The study will use a simple blood test to identify those microRNAs which are associated with bowel cancer and can ultimately be used for screening. The study also aims to determine if these microRNAs can accurately predict the stage and degree of spread of colon cancer.
This page was last updated on 12-11-2010