Researchers have identified some common metabolites across cancer types like pancreatic and glioma cancer that develops in the glial cells of the brain and spinal cord, suggesting their potential as universal cancer biomarkers. This offers a potential non-invasive method for early cancer diagnosis as well as therapeutic strategies for cancer.  

Aggressive cancers like pancreatic and glioma cancers often diagnosed late and having poor prognoses. Hence there is an urgent need for non-invasive, reliable cancer biomarkers to address significant gaps in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, particularly for aggressive cancers like pancreatic and glioma, which lack early detection methods. Nano messengers (Exosomes), as carriers of tumour-derived metabolites, provide a unique opportunity to explore the tumour microenvironment (TME).

A team of scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), including Ms. Nandini Bajaj and Dr. Deepika Sharma, have identified metabolites in exosomes derived from pancreatic cancer, lung cancer and glioma cancer cell line, offering potential universal biomarkers resulting in enhanced clinical applicability. Additionally, insights into metabolic interactions within the tumour microenvironment (TME) provide a foundation for targeted therapies.

The researchers utilized a multi-technique approach combining Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA), Electron Microscopy (EM), Western Blot (WB), Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), untargeted Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), providing a comprehensive characterization of exosomes, surpassing conventional single-method studies. The study advances cancer diagnostics, personalized medicine, and our understanding of cancer progression mechanisms.

These metabolites identified highlight dysregulated pathways in the tumour microenvironment (TME), also gives insights on how the cancer progresses and enables non-invasive and precise cancer detection and therapeutic targeting.

The research published in the journal Nanoscale can lead to targeted therapies that disrupt dysregulated metabolic pathways in tumours, enhancing treatment efficacy and potentially reducing side effects. This advancement could significantly improve patient outcomes, especially through personalized, precision medicine approaches.

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