Believe it or not, cells can communicate with each other! They communicate with neighbouring or distant cells by secreting lipid-bound vesicles known as extracellular vesicles (EVs). Because EVs can provide information about the originating cells and their physiological state, particularly in cancer progression, they’ve emerged as a novel source of non-invasive cancer biomarkers that could help diagnose and treat cancer early.
Dr Wai-Leng Lee and her team from the School of Science demonstrated that it was possible to detect cancer-specific proteins by examining the urine of patients with prostate cancer against healthy participants. Their data suggest that this technique can be used for the early screening of cancer, and enable the accurate staging and grading of the disease.