Liver cancer causes 10% of all cancer-related deaths in Australia. Unlike other types of cancer, there are no laboratory tests or biomarkers to detect a person’s risk of developing liver cancer. Consequently, the disease often goes undetected until it is far advanced.
Now, a Curtin team has developed a predictive prognostic test to estimate future liver cancer risk in people with existing liver conditions. The test was developed using a cutting-edge technology called Single Cell Transcriptomics, which identifies the molecular fingerprint of thousands of genes, one cell at a time. Combined with new computational methods for data analysis, the technology reveals benign biological processes in liver disease that precede the formation of liver cancer.
Once commercially developed, the test will enable clinicians to categorise patients according to their liver cancer risk factor and offer early treatment options where appropriate.
Team: Dr Rodrigo Carlessi, Associate Professor Nina Tirnitz-Parker (Curtin Medical School), Professor John Olynyk (Fiona Stanley Hospital).
Discover more: curtin.edu/xmmvpp