SPARK-Miracles project

Project Member(s): Tran, N.

Funding or Partner Organisation: Kolling Institute of Medical Research (Spark Sydney Project)

Start year: 2015

Summary: Oral cancer affects up to 250,000 people per year, however public awareness and vital research is lacking for this disease. Sadly, the majority of patients are diagnosed at a late stage and consequently survival is under 30%. But if a patient is detected at an early stage, survival increases beyond 90%. Put simply, early detection is critical for saving lives! Currently, there is a complete absence of any blood borne markers for the early detection of oral cancer. This represents a unique opportunity to deliver novel diagnostics for the early detection of this disease. Our laboratory has discovered a unique set of molecules known as microRNAs, which can be found in the blood. The elevated presence of these molecules in the blood will act as an “early warning system” for early stage oral cancer. As a direct outcome, patients would be treated earlier, hence improving survival and avoiding intensive surgery associated with late stage cancers. Health care cost would also be reduced as early stage cancer patients cost three fold lower to treat when directly compared to late stage cancer patients. Thus, the potential of our results to overwhelmingly improve quality of life, as well as reduce treatment costs, is clear and evident. Given this is a blood base test; these fluids are easily collected without the need for specialized medical training or equipment thus expanding their utility to developing countries or remote indigenous communities.

Publications:

Tran, NT & Khoury, S 2019, 'The challenges of using blood-based miRNAs in the clinic'.

FOR Codes: Medical Devices, Cancer and Related Disorders, Clinical health