Synthetic biomarkers: a twenty-first century path to early cancer detection

Gabriel A Kwong ^1,2,3,4,5, Sharmistha Ghosh ⁶, Lena Gamboa ⁷

¹Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA. gkwong@gatech.edu.
²Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Atlanta, GA, USA. gkwong@gatech.edu.
³Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, USA. gkwong@gatech.edu.
⁴The Georgia Immunoengineering Consortium, Emory University and Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, USA. gkwong@gatech.edu.
⁵Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA. gkwong@gatech.edu.
⁶Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. ghoshjanjigias@mail.nih.gov.
⁷Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
⁸Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
⁹Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. srivasts@mail.nih.gov.
¹⁰Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. sbhatia@mit.edu.
¹¹Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. sbhatia@mit.edu.
¹²Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. sbhatia@mit.edu.
¹³Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. sbhatia@mit.edu.
¹⁴Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA. sbhatia@mit.edu.

⁰Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA. gkwong@gatech.edu.

Nature Reviews. Cancer +

|

September 7, 2021

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Synthetic biomarkers offer a novel approach to early cancer detection by using engineered sensors within the body to amplify tumor signals. These advanced diagnostics aim to overcome limitations of traditional biomarkers for improved cancer screening.

Area Of Science

Biomedical Engineering
Synthetic Biology
Cancer Diagnostics

Background

Early cancer detection significantly improves patient outcomes and survival rates.
Existing non-invasive biomarkers (e.g., from blood or urine) face limitations like short circulation times and dilution, hindering early detection.
The success of screening methods like cervical cytology highlights the need for improved early detection strategies.

Purpose Of The Study

To review the rationale and development of biofluid-based synthetic biomarkers for early cancer detection.
To explore how synthetic biomarkers can overcome the limitations of naturally shed biomarkers.
To discuss the potential of synthetic biomarkers in amplifying cancer signals for enhanced detectability.

Main Methods

Synthetic biomarkers utilize bioengineered sensors deployed inside the body.
These sensors are designed to harness tumor-specific features for signal amplification.
Strategies involve tumor-selective activation and leveraging natural bodily fluid processing (blood, urine) for detection.

Main Results

Synthetic biomarkers can amplify disease signals beyond the levels of shed biomarkers.
Tumor-specific activation enhances the specificity of synthetic biomarker detection.
Integration with natural biofluid pathways facilitates easier detection and potential clinical translation.

Conclusions

Synthetic biomarkers represent a promising emerging class of diagnostics for early-stage cancer.
These engineered systems offer a potential solution to the limitations of current non-invasive detection methods.
Further preclinical development and clinical translation are necessary to realize the full potential of synthetic biomarker diagnostics.

Related Concept Videos

Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine

Combining two or more treatment methods increases the life span of cancer patients while reducing damage to vital organs or tissue from the overuse of a single treatment. Combination therapy also targets different cancer-inducing pathways, thus reducing the chances of developing resistance to treatment.
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...