英国科学家利用发光水母细胞诊断早期癌症

Jellyfish cells 'diagnose' cancer, York scientists say

Cells from jellyfish can be used to help diagnose cancers, the scientists say。

被放大后的水母发光细胞

英国约克大学约克郡癌症研究实验室日前开发出了一种新型癌症诊断方式，可以利用来自水母的发光细胞诊断身体内部较深处的癌症。

这种诊断方式是，利用从发光水母细胞中获得的绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）插入人类的癌细胞中。随后，当细胞组织发光时，通过一种特殊的照相机可以检测变亮的这些蛋白质，以此指示肿瘤的所在位置。

该研究小组的负责人诺曼•麦特兰德（Norman Maitland）教授认为，这项发明将会彻底改变某些癌症的诊断方式。他表示，身体内部的深层癌症很难在早期被发现，不管何种类型的癌症，早期诊断都是成功治疗的关键。

诊断过程是此美国化学家钱永健所做工作的延伸部分，钱永健因为从晶型水母中提出了发光细胞并分离出了GFP而获得了2008年诺贝尔奖。

麦特兰德教授表示，他们意识到钱博士的这项技术可以被用到癌症的诊断上。他说：“例如，X射线很难穿透并深入组织和骨骼，因此要诊断微型骨癌相当困难。我们开发的这项技术可以用来进行早期诊断。”

约克大学的研究团队利用了一种结构改变的荧光蛋白，原本会发出绿光的蛋白在改造以后发出了红光或蓝光。

包含荧光蛋白的病毒会以微小的肿瘤细胞束作为目标，这些肿瘤细胞束分散在身体各处，由于过于微小，传统的扫描技术没办法检测到它们。但随着病毒的生长，越来越多的荧光蛋白被产生出来。“当通过特殊的显影照相机进行拍摄时，蛋白质会闪耀着亮光，你就可以看到癌细胞的位置所在了，”麦特兰德教授说，“我们将这一过程称做‘病毒显影’。”

如果进展得顺利，研究人员们希望这项技术能在五年内投入临床试验。但麦特兰德教授表示，这项技术仍然存在一个问题，即诊断需要的专业相机很难获得。

目前只有一家美国公司设计并构建了一套拍摄系统，可以将身体内部的荧光蛋白以理想的分辨率显示出来。这套设备的售价为50万英镑，麦特兰德教授表示，自己目前正在筹措资金准备购置一套。

英文原文：
Luminous cells from jellyfish can be used to diagnose cancers deep inside the body, scientists have said.

The process uses the green fluorescent protein (GFP) enabling jellyfish to glow in the dark.

Researchers in North Yorkshire found it can be targeted at cancer cells allowing them to be spotted using a special camera.

A team from the Yorkshire Cancer Research Laboratory at York University has developed the procedure.

The team's leader, Professor Norman Maitland, believes it will revolutionise the way some cancers are diagnosed.

He said: "Cancers deep within the body are difficult to spot at an early stage, and early diagnosis is critical for the successful treatment of any form of cancer.

"What we have developed is a process which involves inserting proteins derived from luminous jellyfish cells into human cancer cells.

"Then, when we illuminate the tissue, a special camera detects these proteins as they light up, indicating where the tumours are."

The process is an extension of the work done by American chemist Dr Roger Y Tsien, who won a Nobel Prize in 2008 for taking luminous cells from the crystal jelly species of jellyfish and isolating the GFP.

Prof Maitland said: "When we heard about Dr Tsien's work, we realised how that advance might be useful in the diagnosis of cancer.

'Flare up'
 
"X-rays, for example, struggle to penetrate well deeply into tissues and bone, so diagnosing dangerous microscopic bone cancer is difficult.

"Our process should allow earlier diagnosis to take place."

The York team's process uses an altered form of the protein so that it shows up as red or blue, rather than its original green.

Viruses containing the proteins are targeted to home in on tiny bundles of cancer cells scattered throughout the body which are too small to be seen by conventional scanning techniques.

But the viruses grow and, while doing so, make more and more of the fluorescent proteins.

"When a specially-developed camera is switched on, the proteins just flare up and you can see where the cancer cells are." said Prof Maitland.

"We call the process 'Virimaging'."

Deep in body
 
The team expects the procedure to be ready for clinical trials within five years, if the research continues to go to plan.

Prof Maitland said one problem, however, may be the availability of the specialised cameras needed for the process.

A United States company is the only one which has so far designed and built a camera system which allows the jellyfish proteins to be seen with the desired resolution so deep in the body.

This kit costs about £500,000 and Prof Maitland said he was currently raising the funds to buy one