Detecting cancer in a drop of blood  

清華發現全新腫瘤標志物 只要一滴血就可測癌癥

記者17日從清華大學獲悉，該校生命學院羅永章教授研究組在國際上首次發現Hsp90α(熱休克蛋白90α)為一個全新的腫瘤標志物。患者只需取一滴血液，通過試劑盒檢測，即可用于病情監測和治療效果的評價，為指導腫瘤個體化治療提供輔助依據。[查看全文]

Beijing (CNS) -- A reagent test kit invented at Tsinghua University can diagnose multiple kinds of cancer by analyzing a drop of human blood.

Led by Professor Luo Yongzhang, the research team at Tsinghua announced that they've invented a device that can detect the amount of heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90) in human blood.

Cancer patients have a higher level of Hsp90 than the general population, according to Luo.

Luo's team had initially reported on Hsp90's function in tumor malignancy in 2009's "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America."

The Beijing Youth Daily cited Professor Luo as saying that the kit can only be used for preliminary examinations at this time, not for final diagnoses.

However, the kit is significant for cancer patients, since an expensive CT scan would not be necessary to show that treatment is working, or vice versa.

The kit has been certified to enter the Chinese and European markets.

Prior to the kit, there were 31 tumor markers, all of which were discovered and identified by scientists in other countries.