Japanese scientists use genetically modified worm to detect cancer

A Japanese biotech firm has devised a new method that might help detect pancreatic cancer at an early stage.

The technique involves the use of a genetically modified a type of worm called “C. elegans” created by a Japanese firm, Hirotsu Bio Science.

It is well known that bodily fluids of cancer patients smell different to those of healthy people. There have been experiments with dogs who were trained to detect the disease in breath or urine samples. However, the method is time-consuming.

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The firm has claimed that their genetically modified worm, which is around one-millimetre-long, has an acute sense of smell and will be able to react to the urine of people with cancer.

With this experiment, the scientists claimed that it was possible to detect cancer early.

“The new test is not meant to diagnose pancreatic cancer, but could help boost routine screening as urine samples can be collected at home without the need for a hospital visit,” Hirotsu said at a press conference on Tuesday.

And if the worms raise the alarm, the patient would then be referred to a doctor for further testing, he said.

"This is a major technological advancement," CEO Takaaki Hirotsu, a former academic who studied the tiny worms known as nematodes, told AFP.

He is hopeful it could help boost cancer detection rates in Japan, which like many countries has seen screening rates drop during the pandemic as people avoided medical visits.

Hirotsu and Osaka University detailed "C. elegans"cancer-detecting skills in a joint study published earlier this year in the peer-reviewed journal "Oncotarget"

In separate tests conducted by the firm, the worms correctly identified all 22 urine samples from pancreatic cancer patients, including people with early stages of the disease.

(With inputs from agencies)