Breakthrough in early cancer detection

Bangladeshi scientists and their partner institutions have announced a significant breakthrough in the early detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), a prevalent global cancer, bringing hope in saving lives.
HKG Epitherapeutics Ltd, a biotech firm, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), and a team of eminent Bangladeshi clinicians and scientists have announced the development of a transformative high-throughput assay for early detection of HCC, the most common type of primary liver cancer.
This innovative essay was published in the high impact peer reviewed international journal Nature Communications, icddr,b said in a statement on Thursday.
"This breakthrough signifies a crucial moment in HCC detection. The potential to save lives is tremendous, reflecting our team's unwavering commitment to advancing cancer diagnostics and improving the health of the Bangladesh population," Wasif Ali Khan, a scientist at the icddr,b clinical research institute, said.
"We are planning to launch this test in Bangladesh to reduce the burden of HCC and improve the health of the people here," he added.
It identifies HCC through distinctive DNA methylation signatures and has the potential to revolutionise HCC detection in high-risk populations (that includes people with liver diseases, type 2 diabetes and alcoholics), thereby decreasing morbidity and mortality rates associated with this cancer.
HCC is often detected at advanced stages, leading to treatment challenges and reduced survival rates.
The developed assay uses sophisticated sequencing and multiplexing techniques to differentiate HCC samples from normal tissues, other blood samples, and non-HCC tumours, overcoming the limitations of traditional diagnostic methods.
The research group evaluated the assay on 554 clinical  study participants, comprising HCC patients, non-HCC cancer patients, individuals with chronic hepatitis B, and healthy controls.
The results revealed an HCC detection sensitivity of 84.5 per cent at 95 per cent specificity, demonstrating its promising potential for early HCC detection.
Prof Moshe Szyf, the Chairman of HKG Epitherapeutics Ltd, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and a pioneer in the field of epigenetics stated that this study is a strong confirmation to the company approach to early detection of disease using a combination of epigenetics and multiplexed next generation sequencing as a global platform.
"The company intends to provide the test shortly for its global and local customers at its CLIA-CAP accredited laboratory in HK science Park and add this test to its growing portfolio of epigenetic tests," he added.
David Cheishvili, an epigeneticist who is leading research and innovation at HKG Epitherapeutics Ltd and a lead author, stated, "Our developed high-throughput assay represents an innovative step forward in cancer detection."
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