Photo from Georgia State University
A.G. Unil Perera, PhD
Preclinical research suggests infrared spectroscopy could be used to diagnose non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
Researchers used mid-infrared spectroscopy to analyze blood serum derived from mice and differentiate mice with NHL and subcutaneous melanoma from each other and from healthy control mice.
The findings suggest infrared spectroscopy can detect biochemical changes induced by NHL and melanoma and therefore has diagnostic potential as a screening technique for these cancers.
A.G. Unil Perera, PhD, of Georgia State University in Atlanta, and his colleagues detailed these findings in Scientific Reports.
The researchers said that Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) sampling mode provides high-quality results with better reproducibility compared to other vibrational spectroscopy.
With previous work, Dr Perera and his colleagues discovered that a blood test for ulcerative colitis using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy could provide a cheaper, less invasive alternative for screening compared to colonoscopy.
In the current study, the researchers tested ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in mouse models of malignancy—EL4 NHL and B16 subcutaneous melanoma.
The team extracted blood serum from these mice and control mice. Droplets of serum were placed on an ATR crystal of the FTIR instrument.
Incident infrared beams were absorbed and reflected by the serum, creating a wave that was recorded and used to produce an absorbance curve with peaks that identified the presence of certain biomarkers in the sample.
The researchers compared the absorbance curves from the control and cancer mice and assessed biochemical changes induced by NHL and melanoma.
The team found “remarkable” differences between the ATR-FTIR spectra of serum samples from tumor-bearing mice and control mice.
Dr Perera said these findings are applicable to humans because mice and humans have some biomarkers and chemicals in common.
Using the data collected on the biomarkers for NHL and melanoma, the researchers could develop detectors for these particular absorbance peaks, which doctors could use to test patients’ blood samples for these cancers.
“Our final goal is to say we can use this infrared technique to identify various diseases,” Dr Perera said. “This study shows infrared spectroscopy can identify cancer. Right now, when you go to the doctor, they do blood tests for sugar and several other things but not for serious diseases like cancer and colitis.”
“One day, we hope that even these serious diseases can be rapidly screened. Your primary doctor could keep a record of your number and check that every time you come back. Then, if there is some indication of cancer or colitis, they can do biopsies, colonoscopies, etc.”
