End invasive biopsies?

In diagnostic medicine, biopsies, where a sample of connective tissue is taken out for examination, are a common tool for detecting many conditions. But this approach has a number of disadvantages – it can be painful, does not always remove the diseased tissue, and can only be used at a sufficiently advanced stage of disease, making it, in some cases, too late for intervention. These concerns have prompted researchers to find less aggressive and accurate options for diagnosis.

Professor Nir Friedman and Dr Ronen Sadeh from the Institute of Life Sciences and School of Computer Engineering have published a study in Nature’s biotechnology that shows how a wide range of diseases can be detected through a simple blood test. The test allows lab technicians to identify and diagnose the condition of dead cells throughout the body and thus detect various diseases including cancers and diseases of the heart and liver. The test is even able to identify specific symptoms that may differ between patients suffering from the same types of tumor growths, a feature that has the potential to help physicians administer personalized treatments. developed for individual patients.

The test relies on a natural process in which millions of cells in our body die and are replaced by new cells. When cells die, their DNA is fragmented and some of these DNA fragments reach the bloodstream and are detected by DNA sequencing methods. However, all our cells have the same DNA sequence, so just by following the DNA they cannot identify which cells it came from. Although the DNA sequence is identical between cells, the way in which the DNA is organized in the cell is quite different. The DNA is packaged into nucleosomes, small repeating structures that contain specific proteins called histones. On the histone proteins, the cells write a specific chemical code that can tell us the identity of the cell and even the biological and pathological processes that take place within it. In recent years, several studies have successfully developed a process by which this information can be identified and thus reveal unusual cell activity.

A new approach developed by Hebrew University researchers, Professor Friedman and Dr. Ronen Sadeh is capable of accurately reading this information from DNA in the blood and using it to determine the nature of disease or the tumor, just where in the body it is found and even how long it has developed.

The approach relies on the analysis of epigenetic information within the cell, a method that has been steadily improving in recent years. “As a result of these scientific advances, we realized that if this information is maintained within the structure of DNA in the blood, we could use that data to identify the tight source of dead cells and genes. was active in these true cells to prove. on these decisions, we can find key information about the patient’s health, “Dr. Friedman explains.” We are able to better understand why the cells died, regardless of whether it was existing disease or cancer and based on that in a better position to find out how the disease is developing. “

Along with the obvious diagnostic benefits of this process, the test is also non-invasive and much cheaper than traditional biopsies. Dr Ronen Sadeh said, “We hope this approach will allow for earlier diagnosis of disease and help physicians to treat patients more effectively. Recognizing the potential of this approach and how the To make this technology so beneficial for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, we have set up the Senseera company that will be involved in clinical trials in partnership with leading pharmaceutical companies with the aim of bringing this innovative approach to patients. ”

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