Academic develops point of care device to detect breast cancer gene

A Louisiana State University academic has managed to develop a way for people to detect whether they have a potentially cancerous gene or not by using their smartphone.

Assistant Professor Manas Gartia came up with the idea after seeing point of care (POC) devices existing for conditions such as diabetes and pregnancy.

The FluoroZen, which does a DNA microarray analysis using a smartphone and portable fluorescence microarray-based imaging system, which provides results in 20 minutes. This could be used instead of a home test kit or going to the doctors.

Gartia’s team tested for the BReast CAncer gene one (BRCA1), where a positive test means there is a mutuation in the gene and a higher risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer in women and pancreatic cancer in men.

Assistant Professor Gartia, from their Mechanical Engineering department said: “The rapid development of smartphone technology with increasing computing power, high-resolution cameras, GPS capabilities, and internet connectivity has enabled a smartphone-based POC testing platform suitable for field deployment.

“We chose the BRCA1 gene due to its high prevalence in half of the global population, and secondly, because a lot of researched data about the alterations and mutations are available at the gene level from various databases.

“Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women in the United States. In 2015, 41,523 women died of breast cancer in the U.S., with 3,523 of those in Louisiana. We believe that early detection saves lives. That’s why genetic testing is so popular. People want to catch it [cancer] before it’s found in a mammogram.”

The FluoroZen works by analysing DNA that is placed on nitrocellulose (NC) paper, which is then set on a glass slide holder. The FluoroZen detects the fluorescent oligonucleotide spots on the NC paper using two light spectrum filters—one to excite the fluorescent dye and the second to capture the emission spectrum. The spots with higher intensity will be brighter, indicating the presence of the mutated BRCA1 gene. A smartphone, which is attached to the POC device, then shows a simple Yes or No result on the screen after taking a picture of the spots.

According to the Maurer Foundation, approximately 60% of women who inherit the harmful gene mutation will develop breast cancer. However, not all breast cancer is due to this genetic mutation and not all women or men with the mutation will develop breast cancer.