Russian scientists have tested an absolutely reliable way to diagnose a cancerous brain tumor. This was reported by the press service of the RNF.
Basically, the brain consists of nerve cells and glial tissue, an auxiliary substance that creates the appropriate environment for nerves to work. At the same time, glial tissue can be an environment for the development of cancer – the uncontrolled division of its cells forms glioma, a very common and dangerous type of brain cancer. While the main methods of diagnosing this disease are computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, image analysis is a problem: even experienced specialists may not notice small neoplasms at the initial stage.
In this regard, experts from Krasnoyarsk State Medical University and colleagues from other institutes developed a method for glioma detection using DNA aptamers. These are short DNA sequences that can be “programmed” to bind to specific cells in the body. The authors selected the in vitro short DNA such that the molecules would bind specifically to the human glial tumor. As a result, the researchers obtained more than twenty thousand DNAs with a length of 100 nucleotides – the “letters” that make up these molecules. Next, the scientists, with the help of machine learning, selected and refined the DNA that seemed like the best candidates for sequencing, using molecular modeling methods.
The molecules were then tested for their ability to bind to target tumor cells during the experiment. As a result, the scientists identified two sequence variants that are strictly specific to glial tumors. These aptamers, designated Gli-233 and Gli-55, bind only to the glioma, distinguishing it from healthy brain regions and other types of tumors. To test this method, the authors conducted experiments on laboratory mice that developed a human glial tumor in their brains. Animals were injected with a preparation containing Gli-233 molecules with fluorescent labels attached to them. They made it possible to see the tumor under a microscope. It turned out that the aptamer binds to tumor cells with 100% accuracy and is non-toxic to animals.
ancient biologists raised artificial fat for test tube meat.