- Named TriOx, this innovative test analyses multiple features of DNA in the blood to identify subtle signs of cancer, which could offer a fast, sensitive and minimally invasive alternative to current detection methods.
- The study, published in Nature Communications, showed that TriOx accurately detected cancer (including in its early stages) across six cancer types and reliably distinguished those people who had cancer from those that did not.
- Cancers are more likely to be cured if they’re caught early, and early treatment is also much cheaper for healthcare systems. While the test is still in the development phase, it demonstrates the promise of blood-based early cancer detection, a technology that could revolutionize screening and diagnostic practices.
A team of researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a new liquid biopsy test capable of detecting six cancers at an early stage.
“Liquid biopsies” have become an important focus of research in recent years as a less invasive alternative to existing diagnostic tests. Liquid biopsies show promise for finding cancers, even in their early stages. However, most liquid biopsy tests currently in the clinic only look at one or two features of the cancer DNA, which limits how well they can detect cancer.
In this study published in Nature Communications and funded by Innovate UK and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, the researchers combined a cutting-edge DNA analysis technique called TAPS with machine learning, to analyse and combine multiple key features from the DNA circulating in the blood. This approach improves the detection of the small fraction of cancer DNA, making the test, named TriOx, particularly sensitive for identifying cancer.