Media | Infrared light for cancer research

Diamond synchrotron set to develop new ways to detect cancer

Diamond Light Source, the UK’s synchrotron science facility, is being used by a Stoke-on-Trent based clinician to develop new ways to detect cancer.


Located in south Oxfordshire, the Diamond synchrotron’s new infrared facility is helping researchers to identify, at single cell level, biomarkers in cancer cells to distinguish healthy cells from cancerous ones. The outcome could be quicker cancer detection meaning starting treatment earlier and a reduction in health service costs.

Dr Josep Sulé-Suso, an oncologist specialising in lung cancer based at the new Cancer Centre at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, and at the Guy Hilton Research Centre, Keele University, is the lead researcher on the project. He says,

“One in three people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime and research has shown that survival rates are higher the earlier the cancer is diagnosed. One of the problems faced by pathologists when trying to diagnose cancer is the presence of abnormal cells in biopsy samples. This is when the patient’s biopsy contains cells that are not normal but can neither be confirmed as cancer. The patient will have already undergone a biopsy, which carries side effects and risks, and will have to face further biopsies for the pathologist to be able to confirm whether the patient has cancer or not, delaying the treatment and increasing the costs to the health service.”

Dr Josep Sulé-Suso, University Hospital of North Staffordshire/Keele University

Along with his fellow researchers and the team of Diamond scientists at the B22 Infrared beamline lead by Dr Gianfelice Cinque, Dr Sulé-Suso has just published a paper in the journal Laboratory Investigation describing how synchrotron-based infrared technique can be used to aid cancer diagnosis using stained samples. In December 2009, Dr Sulé-Suso became the first researcher to use the new infrared capabilities at Diamond Light Source.

Known for producing extremely intense pinpoint beams of X-rays to look at the atomic and molecular details of samples from virtually any field of science, synchrotrons can also be used to carry out high-resolution studies using infrared light; revealing the secrets of all manner of objects, from human cells to the hidden works behind famous paintings such as those of van Gogh, usually invisible to the naked eye. Although work like this has not yet taken place on the Infrared beamline at Diamond, due to it being in the early stages of operation, the potential of this brand new facility is huge.
 
The image to the right shows a false colour map of the protein absorbance inside the cell. The scale at the side indicates the level of absorbance, showing that it is more concentrated in the nucleus. The visible image of the cell is laid underneath for comparison.
 
The successful pilot study led by Dr Sulé-Suso looks right inside cells – both lung cancer cells and normal cells – in tissue samples taken from around 50 lung cancer patients. Dr Sulé-Suso and the team are looking for markers in the cancer cells – differences in for example the fat content, protein or DNA. The Diamond synchrotron enables them to look further and in the future diagnose cancer at single cell level, thereby helping pathologists in the diagnosis of cancer from difficult samples.  
 
Dr Sulé-Suso adds, “Identifying cancer cells in this way will be better all round. If we can better characterise the abnormal cells without further biopsies, we will reduce the number of biopsies thus reducing risks and side effects for patients, starting treatment earlier, and reducing costs for the NHS.

The next stage of this research is to widen and expand the studies involving a much larger number of lung cancer patients. Once the markers have been identified and the preliminary work has been confirmed, this research will make it easier to study abnormal cells using equipment available in a pathology lab to confirm whether they are cancerous.

The image to the left shows Dr Sulé-Suso in front of the microscope with Dr Cinque to his left, and the rest of the B22 beamline team at Diamond.

"We welcome the increase in biomedical applications of the synchrotron and look forward to more collaboration with NHS based clinicians in years to come."

Chief Executive of Diamond Light Source, Professor Gerd Materlik

Dr Sulé-Suso’s research focuses on lung cancer, which is the second most common cancer diagnosed in the UK after breast cancer, but it is thought that this work and the findings of these studies could be transferred and carried out on other cancers.

Listen to an interview with Dr Sulé-Suso on Diamond's latest podcast, which features three clinicians who are using the synchrotron to study samples donated by patients.

Watch again the clip on BBC news at 10!