Urine test that changes colour if it detects cancer could help diagnose the killer disease in the future, scientists say
- The early-stages of the test was used on mice, half of which had colon cancer
- Cancer was successfully detected because the urine turns bright blue
- Particles are injected into the body which are changed by tumour enzymes
A urine test that changes colour if it detects cancer could help diagnose the killer disease in the future, scientists say.
Trials on mice showed it worked, with their urine turning a shade of bright blue if they had colon cancer.
Scientists hope the test will pave the way for a new diagnostic tool which would be cheaper and easier than current methods.
Finding cancer early can boost survival rates because treatment can be started as soon as possible.
A urine test that changes colour if it detects cancer has been developed by scientists. It was tested on mice and accurately turned bright blue in mice with colon cancer (pictured)
Researchers at Imperial College London and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) published their findings in Nature Nanotechnology.
‘This test can be administered without expensive and hard-to-use lab instruments,’ said study author Professor Molly Stevens, of Imperial.
‘The simple readout could potentially be captured by a smartphone picture and transmitted to remote caregivers to connect patients to treatment.
‘By taking advantage of this chemical reaction that produces a colour change, this test can be administered without the need for expensive and hard-to-use lab instruments.’
The test accurately detected which urine samples came from mice with colon tumours in a study of 28 mice – where 14 mice were healthy and 14 had colon tumours.
The bright blue colour was visible within half an hour of the urine being treated with a chemical.
The authors wrote: ‘We have developed a modular approach for the rapid detection of a disease state based on a simple and sensitive colorimetric urinary assay that requires minimal equipment and can be read by eye in less than one hour.
‘We envision that this modular approach will enable the rapid detection of a diverse range of diseases.’
The mice showed no side effects and the scientists said there was no evidence the nanosensors lingered in the body anymore.
The test is only in the early stages of development and researchers are working on making it even easier to use.
They envision it will be able to distinguish between different cancers, not just colon, and diseases.
Current diagnostic tools for cancer sometimes rely on biological signals known as biomarkers, which are produced when tumours grow and spread.
Other tests that diagnose cancer include MRI scans, blood tests and a lumbar puncture, depending on what cancer the doctor suspects.
But tests can be drawn out, with results taking days to come, and expensive.