MSU researchers seek quicker, less invasive cancer detection

Contact: Phil Hearn

STARKVILLE, Miss.--A Mississippi State research team is developing a cancer screening process that may allow physicians to more quickly diagnose often-deadly malignancies without performing invasive biopsies.

Utilizing a novel technology called laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, or LIBS, university engineers and biomedical scientists are seeking to precisely distinguish malignant and normal cells in real time by inserting a single optical fiber microprobe directly into suspicious tissue for a cancer diagnosis, including breast cancer.

MSU is seeking a patent for the new technology devised by team leader Jagdish P. Singh, a research professor with the Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory--DIAL--and Shane Burgess, an assistant professor of basic science in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

"Researchers in the U.S. have shown that laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy can distinguish between normal and malignant tumor cells in tissue," the MSU scientists wrote in a paper featured recently in the publications Applied Optics and Opto & Laser Europe. The report also appears on the Web site optics.org.

The study "shows that LIBS has great potential for (commercial) development as an in vivo diagnostic tool for cancer, and perhaps even other diseases," they added.

DIAL provided initial funding to demonstrate the feasibility of the research project and that led to $106,000 in funding support from the university's Life Sciences and Biotechnology Institute. The MSU team is seeking additional funds from the U.S. Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health and industrial partners.

"Early diagnosis, especially before the cancer has metastasized to regional lymph nodes, is essential," warned Singh, noting more than 200,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer annually. He said a recent decrease in breast cancer mortality has been linked to screening and early detection.

"Development and testing of more sensitive and more rapid screening techniques should lead to further improvements, especially in younger women whose breast density may preclude adequate screening by conventional mammography," added Burgess. "Furthermore, surgical interventions that are less radical have a significant positive impact on the patient's emotional and psychological well-being."

DIAL officials said computer software will be developed to differentiate between cancer and normal tissue, based on the intensity and ratio of different trace elements present in the tissue cell. The researchers already have identified significant differences in the content of metals such as calcium, aluminum and iron between malignant and normal tissues.

"The MSU team's vision is that a small optical fiber would be directly inserted into suspicious tissue," said former DIAL director John Plodinec. "Laser light passed down the fiber would stimulate emission that would be detected back through the fiber.

"Algorithms then would be applied to the signal to classify the tissue as malignant or non-malignant," he added. "This could eliminate tissue extraction from the breast and provide much more rapid feedback to the pathologist."

Singh said breast lumps can be found by self-examination or a physical exam by a medical practitioner, with primary diagnosis traditionally determined by ultrasound and/or mammography tests. A breast biopsy usually is needed, however, to determine whether a lump is malignant or benign, he added.

"Current definitive diagnostic techniques require biopsy followed by time-consuming sample preparation and processing," said Burgess. "The main advantage of LIBS over other techniques is that it has real time-time and online measurement capability, and causes a fraction of the trauma of traditional diagnosis."

Life Sciences and Biotechnology Institute director Alan Wood said the project illustrates a teaming of scientific groups with very different specialties and cultures, which is "one of the great strengths of MSU research.

"For decades, DIAL has been a leader in developing laser-based systems for energy problems," he said. "Similarly, the College of Veterinary Medicine is one of the nation's leaders in its fields. By combining our capabilities, we can tackle larger problems and develop better solutions."

Director Charles Rivenburgh and others in MSU's Office of Intellectual Property and Technology Licensing provide for the identification, protection, marketing, and licensing of intellectual properties developed by faculty, staff and students. Federal law stipulates how inventions developed under government sponsorship must be transferred to the private sector for public benefit.

"Our goal is to see Mississippi State continue to develop its research capabilities, strengthen its ability to contribute to the economic growth of Mississippi--particularly with high-income technology jobs--and help improve the quality of life for the people of this state," said Colin Scanes, MSU's vice president for research and graduate studies.

NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For more information, contact Dr. Jagdish Singh at (662) 325-7375 or singh@dial.msstate.edu; Dr. Shane Burgess at 325-1239 or burgess@cvm.msstate.edu; or Mr. Rivenburgh at 325-3521 or ctr@research.msstate.edu.)