I-Corps: A bisulfite-free method of quantifying the methylation patterns for detecting cancer recurrence in blood

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is in the development and validation of a minimally invasive blood test that can help assess cancer patients' response earlier and more accurately than current standards of care such as computerized tomography (CT) scans and antigen testing. The results from current tools often leave patients and physicians waiting for extended periods and can lead to ineffective therapies and downstream diagnostic follow-ups.

This technology provides real-time insights into how a patient is responding, thus informing clinical decision-making and improving patient outcomes. There are currently 16 million cancer survivors in the US, and the uncertainty of relapse causes significant anguish for patients and caregivers alike. This technology addresses cancer types ranging from colorectal cancer to glioblastoma, and from breast cancer to lung cancer.

This I-Corps project develops novel methods for detecting and quantifying methylation, structural patterns in patients' blood. Current approaches for detecting methylation involve a harsh chemical modification that degrades almost 90% of the DNA and limits the overall accuracy. The approach used here has demonstrated initial success with the use of bisulfite-free approaches to detect and quantify methylation patterns.

This workflow includes the use of a novel methylation-sensitive fusion protein and a nanomaterial platform to amplify the signal. The proposed technology has the potential to detect methylation signals at multiple timepoints within the patient care journey and to create significant clinical impact.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.