Journal News

New biomarker offers hope for earlier ovarian cancer detection

Rob Mitchum
By Rob Mitchum
Aug. 26, 2023

Ovarian cancer is particularly difficult to detect, as the disease often does not produce significant symptoms until it has reached late stages and caused metastasis. New screening methods would help physicians detect ovarian tumors early and dramatically increase the chances of patient survival. 

A study published in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics by past and current University of Illinois Chicago faculty members used a variety of cutting-edge techniques to identify a new biomarker for ovarian cancer that offers hope for effective routine screening — potentially even at home.

This is the graphical abstract for the article "An integrated approach to protein discovery and detection from complex biofluids."

While biomarker studies often seek signs of tumor DNA in blood, the research groups of Joanna Burdette, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the UIC College of Pharmacy, and Laura Sanchez, who moved from UIC to University of California Santa Cruz in 2021, instead looked to the microenvironment near potential tumors.

Researchers collected vaginal samples from mice with ovarian tumors, then used multiple methods such as mass spectrometry — experiments conducted with Stephanie Cologna, UIC associate professor of chemistry — and proteomics technology to find a molecular “fingerprint” of the cancer. The tests identified a potential biomarker in the enzyme cystatin A, which has been previously associated with the body’s immune response to cancer, not the tumor itself.

“I think that’s going to be a very important thing to think about because if we want to detect tumors early, they should be small, maybe even so small that they wouldn’t be detectable if you were just looking for the cancer cell,” said Burdette, who is also a member of the University of Illinois Cancer Center. “But if you look in the environment around the tumor, the immune system, bacteria and other things responding to it, that might be a more robust signal that we could detect earlier.”

The researchers then tested this signal in samples from human patients, using tampons worn by women the day before gynecologic surgery. In samples from patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer, they found that cystatin A levels were twice as high as in the samples diagnosed as benign.

While further trials are needed to verify the predictive power of cystatin A in humans, the paper provides proof of concept that this approach can identify potential biomarkers detectable through routine procedures. Gynecologists could collect vaginal samples during regular checkups or, more speculatively, women could send tampons for laboratory screening on a variety of concerns, similar to new home-screening tests for colon cancer. 

“The idea that you could slot this in as part of a routine gynecological exam makes sense to us,” Burdette said. “We can imagine these fingerprints are probably not unique to just cancer, they could also be useful for a variety of women’s health issues, such as vaginal infection, cervical cancer and STDs.”

This article first appeared in UIC Today. Read the original.

Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition weekly.

Learn more
Rob Mitchum
Rob Mitchum

Rob Mitchum is director of research and scienc communications at the University of Illinois Chicago. Previously, he was associate director of communications for data science and computing at the University of Chicago, where he led communications for the computer science department and Data Science Institute. He also held communications roles at the University of Chicago with the Center for Data and Computing, the Computation Institute and UChicago Medicine. He received his Ph.D. in neurobiology from the University of Chicago in 2007. He spent two years as a journalist with the Chicago Tribune, covering science and general assignment topics. He also has written about music for publications including Pitchfork, Uncut, Paste, Esquire, Deadspin and Relix.

Get the latest from ASBMB Today

Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in Science

Science highlights or most popular articles

Transforming learning through innovation and collaboration
Award

Transforming learning through innovation and collaboration

Nov. 22, 2024

Neena Grover will receive the William C. Rose Award for Exemplary Contributions to Education at the 2025 ASBMB Annual Meeting, April 12–15 in Chicago.

Guiding grocery carts to shape healthy habits
Award

Guiding grocery carts to shape healthy habits

Nov. 21, 2024

Robert “Nate” Helsley will receive the Walter A. Shaw Young Investigator in Lipid Research Award at the 2025 ASBMB Annual Meeting, April 12–15 in Chicago.

Quantifying how proteins in microbe and host interact
Journal News

Quantifying how proteins in microbe and host interact

Nov. 20, 2024

“To develop better vaccines, we need new methods and a better understanding of the antibody responses that develop in immune individuals,” author Johan Malmström said.

Leading the charge for gender equity
Award

Leading the charge for gender equity

Nov. 19, 2024

Nicole Woitowich will receive the ASBMB Emerging Leadership Award at the 2025 ASBMB Annual meeting, April 12–15 in Chicago.

CRISPR gene editing: Moving closer to home
News

CRISPR gene editing: Moving closer to home

Nov. 17, 2024

With the first medical therapy approved, there’s a lot going on in the genome editing field, including the discovery of CRISPR-like DNA-snippers called Fanzors in an odd menagerie of eukaryotic critters.

Finding a missing piece for neurodegenerative disease research
News

Finding a missing piece for neurodegenerative disease research

Nov. 16, 2024

Ursula Jakob and a team at the University of Michigan have found that the molecule polyphosphate could be what scientists call the “mystery density” inside fibrils associated with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and related conditions.