A drop of blood can detect cancer Approved for clinical use

There is a cold string of numbers:


2015In the year, China added429.2Ten thousand cancer patients, with cancer deaths reaching281.4Wan, many people turn pale when talking about cancer.


However, another even more heartbreaking fact is that early cancer has no obvious symptoms and is often not detected until the late stages.


So, a global issue - how to detect cancer in a timely manner - has been troubling the medical community both domestically and internationally. For over 20 years, Luo Yongzhang and his team have been searching for answers and have made historic breakthroughs!


This Chinese medical team has invented a "magic mirror" that can make cancer appear early and save millions of lives!


China adds new content every minute8Cancer patients


Professor Luo Yongzhang from the School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University said,2015The number of new cancer cases in our country this year is approximately430Wan, what died is280Ten thousand, which means that the average number of newly added cancer patients per minute has exceeded8People.


Luo Yongzhang is a professor at the School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University.4month22At the seminar on new cancer biomarkers, he immediately presented a series of cold cancer numbers.


According to predictions from the World Health Organization,2020The global number of new cancer cases is expected to reach2000Wan, died of cancer1200Ten thousand people. Finding effective methods for cancer treatment and monitoring is the direction that many scientists around the world are striving for. However, in reality, how to detect cancer in a timely manner has always troubled the medical community both domestically and internationally.








Luo Yongzhang said that the first question I asked is why tumors, once discovered, are mostly in the middle and late stages. The second one, as everyone knows,90%The above malignant tumors ultimately die from metastasis, but if detected early, the cure rate can be as high as95%。


Significant breakthrough! A drop of blood can detect cancer


Early cancer is 90% treatable, while late cancer is a near death. Tumors have a hidden nature. Although early tumors are easy to cure, they are often not easily detected until the late stage due to the lack of obvious symptoms. However, advanced tumors have already metastasized and spread, making it difficult to treat. Luo Yongzhang painfully witnessed this fact when he first graduated from university in the 1980s.


Luo Yongzhang said: After graduating from college, one of my classmates was found to have cancer, and it was pancreatic cancer. He died less than half a year after the operation. So before my classmate passed away, I hope to study a major related to cancer.


A close classmate passed away due to cancer, which deeply stimulated Luo Yongzhang. During his study abroad in the United States, he resolutely changed his undergraduate major from chemistry to biology, and thus began his career in fighting cancer.


1998In the year, a chance opportunity prompted Luo Yongzhang to return to China and develop a new anti-cancer drug, Endu, which led to a significant decrease in drug prices. However, the problem of early detection of tumors has been troubling Luo Yongzhang. The existing tumor markers used to detect cancer in the medical community are unstable and difficult to detect potential dangers in a timely manner. How can we find a fast track to detect tumors in a timely manner? For over twenty years, Luo Yongzhang and his team have been searching for answers.








In fact, as early as198 9In, the academic community discovered heat shock proteins in the human body90α It can become a biomarker for tumor discovery. For over 20 years, research teams from around the world have published over110000 research papers and generated3American academicians and3There are several European academicians, but the research results have not been translated into products for a long time.


2009In, the team led by Luo Yongzhang began to intervene in research and manually prepared structurally stable heat shock proteins using large-scale recombinant protein preparation technology90α。 This is equivalent to allowing them to freely "manufacture" this protein. On this basis, they also independently developed a specialized method for detecting heat shock proteins90α The reagent kit. Patients only need to take a drop of blood to monitor their cancer condition and evaluate treatment effectiveness.


Luo Yongzhang said: Take human blood and put it in this box, interact with antibodies, and observe color changes. This can quantitatively detect naturalHSP90α The content of.








2013In the year, the team led by Luo Yongzhang collaborated with eight hospitals, including the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, to collect data2036The sample was included in the study and the world's first heat shock protein was synthesized90α Clinical trials as biomarkers for lung cancer. The first global proof of heat shock protein90α， It is a brand new tumor marker. At present, China's independently developedHsp90α The quantitative testing kit has been validated through clinical trials and has obtained the third and highest category medical device certificate in the country. It has also passed EU certification and is allowed to enter the Chinese and EU markets.


The research of Luo Yongzhang's team has caused a sensation in the international medical community,DNADr. James Watson, the discoverer of the double helix and Nobel laureate, sent a congratulatory letter. to2009Published in the Journal of the American Academy of Sciences in, it has attracted widespread attention and citation from international peers. The State Food and Drug Administration quickly approved its use for monitoring the condition and evaluating the efficacy of lung cancer patients. This is a personHsp90α Discovered24In recent years, it is the first product in the world to use it in clinical practice.


After lung cancer, the team led by Luo Yongzhang2016Clinical research on liver cancer was completed in [year], and for the first time in the world, it was proven that heat shock protein90α It can be used for testing liver cancer patients and has been approved for clinical use by the State Food and Drug Administration. In addition to monitoring liver cancer and lung cancer, due to the presence of heat shock proteins90α Detection technology allows doctors to obtain timely information and make the best treatment plan when some cancers metastasize to the liver and lungs.


Cancer "Shadow Mirror" Obtained National License, but Encountered Promotion Threshold


The team led by Luo Yongzhang has developed a method to detect heat shock proteins90α The reagent kit is just a laboratory product, and in order for it to serve millions of patients, it must be industrialized, and this process is not simple.


2008In, Projic Corporation and Tsinghua University jointly established the National Engineering Laboratory of Antitumor Protein Drugs, which was also the first national engineering laboratory approved by the National Development and Reform Commission at Tsinghua University. In the company's laboratory, Li Michuan, the head of the R&D center, showed us the mass-produced heat shock protein90α test kit Using a reagent kit to detect human heat shock proteins90α， The entire process only requires3When I was young, there was not a high technical threshold. However, standardized mass production of reagent kits is not easy.








Cui Dawei, General Manager of Yantai Proji Biotechnology Development Co., Ltd., said: In the field of biopharmaceuticals, the initial laboratory research is often successful. However, when it comes to actual mass production, which is the experiment we call amplification, there is a high possibility of encountering difficulties.


2009In that year, Cui Dawei went to Yantai to start a heat shock protein program90α Reagent kit factory. The first challenge in transforming scientific research achievements in the laboratory into products is the difficulty of technical amplification. Laboratory research on heat shock proteins90α The demand for antibodies is small, so there is no need to keep them stable for too long. And if Cui Dawei wants to mass produce the reagent kit, he must make the heat shock protein90α The solution has a sufficient stability period to ensure a longer sales period of the product. In order to produce mass-produced heat shock proteins90α After the solution stabilized, Cui Dawei spent a year developing a set of heat shock proteins90α The protective solution system. This allows them to extend the product's shelf life to over one year. And the highest level abroad can only be maintained6Stable for months.


heat shock protein 90α The reagent kit entered the factory from the laboratory and then walked off the production line, making the R&D and production team a bumpy journey. However, heat shock proteins90α Whether it can truly become a mirror for cancer, the most important thing still needs clinical testing. So, heat shock protein90α What is the detection effect of?










This middle-aged man who is collecting blood is a cancer patient. He is2014Diagnosed as late stage lung cancer in [year]. Afterwards, he underwent surgery and chemotherapy, and urgently needed an effective tumor detection method to timely understand the changes in his condition. When he accidentally learned about heat shock proteins90α After the detection technology, various tumor tests including it were conducted. On this day, he came to the medical examination center to check his heat shock protein90α Value.




[backcolor=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6) !important]Dynamic diagram[/table]



This cancer patient said: It's time9I did it again in the month, and this time it's been a while since the surgery9It's been a month now, and at this time, everything else is still showing as normal. imageCE1、Ca125Tumor markers, these are all normal, but90α That's it100Duo120What does it look like. This is abnormal.


Except for heat shock proteins90α The abnormal numerical value and normal display of other tumor markers, coupled with no other reactions, did not receive much attention from this patient. But what he didn't expect was that it arrived2015In the year, other tumor biomarker indicators were also abnormal.


Cancer patients: Until now2015Year, at this timeCTThere is already an obvious problem, and I can also feel a bad feeling in my body. Later, at this time, I started taking medicine. At that time, it was in theCTSix months ahead of schedule with several others,90aReflected, if I had knowledge in this area at the time, I should have been vigilant and intervened earlier.


Currently, after active treatment, the patient's condition has been brought under control. Using various methods to detect changes in his body has become a compulsory course for him.


Cancer patients: It's time2016year6Month,90aDescending again to60A few, becauseCTThe display is also good.


Clinical data shows that in lung cancer, traditional tumor markersCEASensitivity only54%The compliance rate is66%; And heat shock protein90α The sensitivity reaches72%The compliance rate is75%, significantly better thanCEA. In liver cancer, traditional biomarkersAFPSensitivity is53%The compliance rate is74%; heat shock protein 90α The sensitivity reaches93%The compliance rate is92%。




[backcolor=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6) !important]Dynamic diagram[/table]



Wang Huaqing, Director of the Cancer Research Institute of Tianjin People's Hospital, said: Heat shock protein90α In basic experiments and in non-small cell lung cancer and liver cancer, it has been found that it is significantly superior to the commonly used biomarkers in clinical practice.


While steadily advancing the detection of lung cancer and liver cancer, the team led by Luo Yongzhang is actively testing heat shock proteins90α Feasibility of detecting other cancers. Currently, internal test data from Proggi Corporation shows that heat shock proteins90α In diffuse largeBThe sensitivity on cellular lymphoma has reached73%.


Wang Huaqing said: In the lymphatic and hematological system, which is the research I am engaged in on malignant lymphoma, there have also been very good signs in basic experiments. It is sensitive and highly specific. We believe this is undoubtedly a significant discovery. So, led by us Chinese, conducting such research is not only beneficial for China, but also contributes to the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer worldwide. We believe that it has great value.


heat shock protein 90α The effectiveness of detecting liver cancer and lung cancer has been fully validated in clinical practice, and the effectiveness trials for other cancer detection are also steadily advancing. To outsiders, heat shock proteins90α The application prospects should be bright, but Cui Dawei believes that the good days are far from coming. Currently, although heat shock proteins90α The detection technology has obtained national license, but the promotion time is relatively short and the sales volume is not high. The Yantai factory in Proji often has three days of fishing and two days of net drying.




[backcolor=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6) !important]Dynamic diagram[/table]



Cui Dawei said: The overall sales volume is still not large enough, which is also an area that we urgently need to develop. Due to insufficient sales, our factory is not continuously producing. We can supply three to four months of usage in about two months at a time.


During the shutdown days, the employees of the Proggi reagent kit factory could only pass the time by maintaining the machines and providing production training. The initial research and development investment is huge, but the production and sales volume is insufficient, making it impossible for enterprises to reduce production costs. Currently, heat shock proteins90α The average price for testing in hospitals is300About yuan. And other tumor tests, such asCASeries, average price only80、90Yuan. In addition, as Proggi has not yet applied for medical insurance, the patient is being tested for heat shock protein in the hospital90α， Unable to enjoy medical insurance.


Cui Dawei said, "We are indeed more expensive than some existing biomarkers. The first reason is that our initial research and development investment is huge, which is one aspect.". Secondly, since our market has not yet opened up, our average cost amortization will be high, so this is also a factor. As we promote our products in the market, our cost prices will definitely decrease, which will also be beneficial for more people to use our product.






[backcolor=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6) !important]Dynamic diagram[/table]





The production line cannot fully utilize its production capacity, holding a golden rice bowl but unable to find a sales outlet. At present, Proggi Company is promoting one province at a time. They have already passed13Price approval for provinces and cities is currently underway100Multiple hospitals handle admission procedures.


Luo Yongzhang said, "I call for giving parents a gift, preferably a physical examination gift. This is the most important thing, so that everyone can detect and treat tumors early, and eliminate them in the bud.". Early discovery is a person's life, late discovery is the helplessness of any medicine.


More "world number one" is needed for anti-cancer treatment


Early detection is the most effective way to treat cancer.


We are very pleased that after years of unremitting efforts, the team led by Luo Yongzhang has achieved a world number one in the field of cancer testing for China. This is a valuable "world number one", and we hope that its promotion can be faster, so that more Chinese manufacturing can be produced.


A little more of this "world number one" can earn millions of cancer patients more time and give birth to a little more hope.