After graduating with dual bachelors of science degrees in mechanical engineering and biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Raj Prabhakar went on to pursue an interest in management and business at the Harvard Business School, where he earned an MBA. Over the course of nearly 20 years, Raj Prabhakar has focused the bulk of his professional efforts on funding cancer research.
New medical studies suggest that patients with liver cancer may have higher survival rates if tumors are diagnosed and treated early, but liver tumor tissue is difficult to detect using traditional CT and MRI techniques. However, a team of researchers at MIT and the University of California, San Diego recently developed a new method that simply involves eating yogurt.
Utilizing a strain of engineered E. coli bacteria embedded in the yogurt, the team was able to develop a harmless compound that bonds to liver tumors and produces a chemical marker in the urine. In mouse trials, the bacteria were able to diagnose metastatic tumors as small as one cubic millimeter with 90 percent accuracy, a significantly higher sensitivity than current CT and MRI scans provide.
Researchers suggest that the new method could be used to monitor tumor reccurrence in cancer patients as well as make initial diagnoses. In addition, ongoing research will focus on methods to deliver drugs and disrupt cancer cells through probiotic bacteria.
New medical studies suggest that patients with liver cancer may have higher survival rates if tumors are diagnosed and treated early, but liver tumor tissue is difficult to detect using traditional CT and MRI techniques. However, a team of researchers at MIT and the University of California, San Diego recently developed a new method that simply involves eating yogurt.
Utilizing a strain of engineered E. coli bacteria embedded in the yogurt, the team was able to develop a harmless compound that bonds to liver tumors and produces a chemical marker in the urine. In mouse trials, the bacteria were able to diagnose metastatic tumors as small as one cubic millimeter with 90 percent accuracy, a significantly higher sensitivity than current CT and MRI scans provide.
Researchers suggest that the new method could be used to monitor tumor reccurrence in cancer patients as well as make initial diagnoses. In addition, ongoing research will focus on methods to deliver drugs and disrupt cancer cells through probiotic bacteria.
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