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Title: Non-invasive cancer detection in canine urine through Caenorhabditis elegans chemotaxis
Cancer is the leading cause of death in companion animals, and successful early treatment has been a challenge in the veterinary field. We have developed the Non-Invasive Cancer Screening (N.C.S.) Study to perform cancer detection through the analysis of canine urine samples. The test makes use of the strong olfactory system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans , which was previously shown to positively respond to urine samples from human cancer patients. We performed a proof-of-concept study to optimize the detection capability in urine samples obtained from dogs with naturally occurring cancers. In this study, we established a scale for identifying the cancer risk based on the magnitude of the chemotaxis index of C. elegans toward a canine urine sample. Through validation, the N.C.S. Study achieved a sensitivity of 85%, showing that it is highly sensitive to indicate the presence of cancer across multiple types of common canine cancers. The test also showed a 90% specificity to cancer samples, indicating a low rate of over-identifying cancer risk. From these results, we have demonstrated the ability to perform low-cost, non-invasive cancer detection in companion animals—a method that can increase the ability to perform cancer diagnosis and treatment.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2132286
NSF-PAR ID:
10378391
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Volume:
9
ISSN:
2297-1769
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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