EU Commissioner for Science and Research to see presentation on potential “early warning” test for breast cancer on visit to DCU
Monday 26 November 2007

Brendan O Connor, who works in the DCU School of Biotechnology

A blood test discovered accidentally by a DCU scientist may provide a simple and quick “early-warning” of breast cancer in women.

The fluorescence- based test could be performed in about 15 minutes on an inexpensive device in doctors’ surgeries or in clinics like VHI Swiftcare.

The test can detect extremely low levels of a protein in the blood which is a “marker” for the early stage development of breast cancer.

This test could avoid the need for general invasive surgical biopsies to test for the presence of a cancer.

Sera Scientific, a spin-out company from Dublin City University, has developed and patented this high specific and sensitive bioanalytical assay, SeraPro^™ , as a new early stage cancer screening blood test.

The research findings were presented to the EU Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Potocnik at DCU, who was invited by the former EU Health Commissioner, David Byrne, now Chancellor of the University, and welcomed by the DCU President Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski. The Commissioner saw presentations on other examples of world- class research at DCU. The DCU Chancellor and the EU Commissioner served together in the Prodi Commission.

"What I have seen here in DCU is very encouraging in terms of Europe's capacity to use research for its future. Not only is there clearly world class research going on at DCU, but they also consider the commercialisation of that research, an area where Europe has traditionally been weak. This applied research has huge potential to save women's lives through the early detection, and therefore treatment, of breast cancer," said Janez Potocnik.

“SeraPro^™ has been tested in close to 100 female patients and controls to date in co-operation with Breast Check Mater Hospital over the last year and the results are very promising”, said DCU neuroscientist Brendan O Connor who made the discovery. IRCSET funded postdoctoral researcher Dr Pamela O'Brien has been the coordinator of the project in Dr O'Connors laboratory.

These women already have breast cancer and the test programme has been aimed at validating the existence of the marker protein in the blood in these circumstances. Consistent results were found showing the protein far exceeding normal background levels.

The research will now move to the second stage aiming to test another 200 women in order to meet FDA standards for approval.

Brendan O Connor, who works in the DCU School of Biotechnology, stressed that while the results so far are very promising, further tests are required, not least to definitively exclude the possibility that the presence of the protein in blood could indicate other types of cancer as well.

Tests have also been carried out on about 20 younger women. In younger women breast cancer is more aggressive, so early warnings are essential for the best treatment.

Sera Scientific, based at DCU Invent, the university commercialisation gateway, has an industrial partner Amideon Systems, and the intention is to commercialise this product after a successful conclusion of the test programme.

“I came across this blood test by accident like so many scientific discoveries,” said Brendan. “ I am not a cancer scientist. I was tracing enzymes in the brain that also appeared in blood, when I discovered this protein. When they kept turning up it was an annoyance to begin with, but when I found out the significance of this protein in early stage breast cancer, it became clear that the blood test could be a potential diagnostic assay for the disease.”