AI Summary
Researchers at UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have been awarded $9.1 million in grants from the National Cancer Institute to improve liquid biopsy technology for early cancer detection. The researchers aim to develop comprehensive approaches that combine multi-modality information to detect various types of cancer. They will initially focus on developing a test for early detection of liver cancer.
Researchers from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have received two grants totaling $9.1 million from the National Cancer Institute to advance liquid biopsy technologies for the early detection of cancer, which can significantly improve treatment outcomes and reduce the number of deaths caused by the disease.
A liquid biopsy is a promising non-invasive medical test using a small volume of blood that gives scientists insight into the genetic makeup of tumors. By analyzing these components, researchers can gain valuable information about the genetic mutations, alterations and other molecular changes associated with the presence of cancer.
With the support from the grants, we will be advancing current tests by creating comprehensive approaches that combines multi-modality information to detect liver, colorectal, liver, lung, and stomach cancer early.”
Jasmine Zhou, lead principal investigator on the grants, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and scientist in the Jonsson Cancer Center
Developing a test for the early detection of liver cancer
For the first grant, the principal investigators Zhou, along with Dr. Steven-Huy Han, Dr. Samuel French and Dr. Vatche Agopian, all part of the Geffen School of Medicine and Jonsson Cancer Center, will develop and validate a method to integrate blood, imaging, and clinical data for the early detection of liver cancer. This liquid biopsy test could fill an urgent demand to benefit patients, who are at risk of developing liver cancer.
Liver cancer is a leading cause of