A Korea University (KU) research team contributed to developing a blood test that can diagnose six different types of cancer at its early stages, including lung, pancreatic, breast, colon, and liver cancers. Professor Choi Yeonho (Department of Biomedical Engineering), Professor Kim Hyun Koo (KU Guro Hospital), and a joint research team from Exophert Co., Ltd. contributed to this accomplishment, and the work was published in the academic journal Nature Communications on March 24, 2023.

According to the KU Communications report, early detection of cancer is critical, as it allows better treatment opportunities as well as significantly improve survival rates. The longer cancer is left unattended, the more difficult it becomes to medically manage and alleviate its adverse effects. But as different cancer types require different testing methods, detection of various cancers has long been costly and time-consuming. A single blood-test allowing early diagnosis is a remarkable achievement that will help facilitate early intervention and advice, additionally reducing the burden of the testing cost for patients.

This method is called a liquid biopsy, the detection of substances secreted by tumor cells in bodily fluids. Exosomes are known as a “cancer biomarker” as a substance carried in blood that contains molecular information of tumor cells. The research team analyzed comprehensive, all-encompassing changes in exosome patterns using nanotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, which helped develop the single blood test.