A research team at UIC, led by Dr Roni H. G. Wright, a researcher and lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is working on the development of a blood test that could, in the future, contribute to the early detection of breast cancer. The research forms part of the BEACON-BC project, which is supported by Earlier.org.

The project’s immediate objective is to investigate whether a blood test can identify biological signals linked to tumour progression and the risk of metastasis. In the longer term, the researchers aim to explore whether this technology could help detect the disease before it becomes clinically apparent, complement current diagnostic tests and facilitate patient monitoring after treatment.

So far, the team has developed an antibody capable of selectively recognising a molecular biomarker associated with cancer and has incorporated it into a rapid test prototype that has demonstrated the ability to detect it at very low concentrations.

“Our greatest hope is that this research will contribute to the development of a blood test for the early detection of breast cancer,” explains Wright.

A new phase of research using patient samples

Coinciding with World Breast Cancer Day on 19 October, the team has announced a new phase of the project involving the analysis of approximately 100 samples from patients with breast cancer at different stages of the disease. The results will be compared with the available clinical information to evaluate the performance of the test in real patient samples.

“This is an important step, as we need to understand how the test performs in real patient samples before we can determine the full potential of the technology. The current study will help us establish this foundation,” says the researcher.

Dr Roni H. G. Wright is a researcher in the Biomedical Sciences area of the Department of Medicine and Health Sciences at UIC and holds a Ramón y Cajal fellowship, a competitive five-year award designed to help researchers consolidate their research groups.