Technology developed at CNPEM and published in an international scientific journal combines biosensors and artificial intelligence
The biosensor is capable of detecting signs of metastasis through saliva, without the need for invasive procedures.
A device the size of a fingertip could change the future for people facing mouth cancer: researchers at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, São Paulo have developed a prototype biosensor that can detect signs of metastasis in saliva, eliminating the need for invasive procedures. The new technology, described in the journal Small, promises to avoid unnecessary surgeries and make treatment more precise.
The biosensor can identify concentrations of three specific biomarkers associated with cancer, the proteins LTA4H, CSTB and COL6A1. These three proteins can be detected when the disease begins to spread to the lymph nodes in the neck, which tends to aggravate the condition of patients with this disease.
The process that makes it possible to detect metastasis consists of a technique called electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. This technique allows researchers to observe the behavior of these proteins from the moment they come into contact with the active area of the sensors, which are comprised of a material called zinc imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) and specific antibodies. ZIF-8 is porous and contains available chemical groups that can immobilize antibodies. Meanwhile, the antibodies work to “capture” specific proteins in a lock-and-key manner, making the analysis more precise.
Adriana Franco Paes Leme, a researcher at the Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) at CNPEM who leads the project within the Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, says that the markers were identified by mapping the proteins in tumor tissue and then analyzed within the saliva using this prototype, developed with support from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). The device was designed as a low-cost solution that would be easy for physicians, dentists and technicians to use in their own clinics. The main idea is to provide the biosensor to the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde, known as SUS). “This is an important advance that allows faster and more accurate clinical decisions, with major potential impact for the public health system,” adds Paes Leme.
The test using the biosensor is not only cheap and easy to use, but also non-invasive and causes no discomfort to patients. Early detection of metastasis (or confirmation that metastasis has not occurred) can help doctors define the best treatment and consequently improve patient quality of life.
Another major differential of this study is the use of artificial intelligence algorithms to interpret the resulting data. The researchers trained machine learning models and were able to identify cases of metastasis with up to 76% accuracy based on the saliva profiles of the evaluated proteins. Of the biomarkers evaluated, LTA4H stood out as most effective for identifying patients with and without tumor spread.
Mouth cancer currently tends to require exploratory surgery, which can cause complications as well as side effects. This new technology will make it possible to avoid unnecessary surgeries, reducing risk and even costs for the SUS.
Luciana Trino Albano, who was responsible for this study at CNPEM during her post-doctoral work and is currently a research at the Renato Archer Information Technology Center, says that neck dissection is performed on a large percentage of patients with mouth cancer. “This procedure is often elective, but in 70% of cases on average there is no metastasis. With this test, these surgeries won’t need to be performed,” she notes.
The researchers are working on new stages of this project so the device can be produced on a larger scale and introduced into the market. The expectation is that within three years, this test will be transformed into an accessible and portable kit that can be used in hospitals, dental clinics, and even public screening programs for mouth cancer, which primarily affects men and is related to risk factors like tobacco and alcohol use and HPV infection.
The full article, authored by Luciana D. Trino Albano, Daniela C. Granato, Luiz G. S. Albano, Fábio M. S. Patroni, Aline G. Santana, Guilherme A. Câmara, Davi H. S. de Camargo, Ana L. Mores, Thaís B. Brandão, Ana C. Prado-Ribeiro, Carlos C. B. Bufon and Adriana F. Paes Leme, is available at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/smll.202504278.
