Study seeks rapid, paper-based test to detect cancer cells in cerebrospinal fluid
With time being of the essence for patients facing one of cancer's most dire complications, UCLA researchers are working to create a new test to detect cancer’s spread to the central nervous system on the same day as the doctor’s visit.
In addition to its low survivability, leptomeningeal disease (LMD) is also difficult to detect in a timely manner using existing testing procedures. Currently, it can take several weeks before doctors can confirm whether the cancer has spread to the cerebrospinal fluid and several more weeks after that to determine if a treatment has been effective.
As part of a two-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Won Kim and Daniel Kamei, Professor of Bioengineering in the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and principal investigator of the study, are now working to develop a new test that would allow for same-day detection of LMD and allow doctors to monitor the effectiveness of treatments such as chemotherapy in real time.
To accomplish this, Kamei and Kim are working to develop a diagnostic kit that includes sample processing and a specialized paper-assay test, similar to those used in at-home COVID and pregnancy tests. Their goal would be to allow doctors to draw cerebrospinal fluid from the patient and, after processing, apply it to the paper test at the site of care. The test would ideally not only confirm the presence of cancer cells in the cerebrospinal fluid that same day, but also give doctors a measure of the concentration of cancer cells.
In addition to reducing time, the test could also reduce the costs of testing for LMD given that the tests are paper-based and do not require lab-processing.
The $375,000, two-year NIH-funded study will include the development of two types of diagnostics and testing with purchased cancer cells and some patient samples.
The study is currently underway, with initial results expected in 2026.
