Geologists and biologists discover the atomic signatures of cancer.
Posted by giorgiobertin on May 8, 2024
The scientists of WITH Boulder and Princeton University have, for the first time, used an instrument often used in geology to detect the atomic signatures of cancer.
Yeast grow under controled conditions in a lab at Princeton University. (Credit: Ashley Maloney)
Some hydrogen atoms, called deuterium, are slightly heavier, while others, usually known as hydrogen, are slightly lighter. On Earth, hydrogen atoms outnumber deuterium atoms by a ratio of about 6,420 to one.
Scientists have wondered: Could these same tiny atoms provide clues to the lives of complex biological organisms?
The team grew cultures of yeast and mouse liver cells in the laboratory, then analyzed their hydrogen atoms. They found that cells that grow very quickly, such as cancer cells, contain a very different proportion of hydrogen atoms to deuterium. The research is still in the early stages, and the team isn’t sure how this signal may, or may not, appear in the bodies of real cancer patients.
Said the professor. Kopf. “If this isotope signal is strong enough to detect through something like a blood test, it could provide an important clue that something is wrong.”.
Read abstract of the article:
Large enrichments in fatty acid 2 H/ 1 H ratios distinguish respiration from aerobic fermentation in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Maloney AE, Kopf SH, Zhang Z, et al.
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2024;121(20):e2310771121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2310771121
Source: University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
This entry was posted on Maggio 8, 2024 a 6:37 PM and is filed under News-research, Tecno Sanità. Tagged: biophysics, biology, physiology, oncology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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