Smarter blood tests from MSU researchers deliver faster diagnoses, improved outcomes
Medical professionals have long known that the earlier a disease is detected, the higher the chance for a better patient outcome. Now, a multidisciplinary team of Michigan State University researchers, in collaboration with experts from Karolinska Institute and the University of California, Berkeley, has pioneered a way to do just that. The new method takes a deeper look at the proteins in plasma and reveals biomarkers that enable researchers — and ultimately physicians — to detect diseases sooner.
“The ability to identify biomarkers advances medicine in two key ways,” said Morteza Mahmoudi, associate professor in the Department of Radiology and Precision Health Program in the MSU College of Human Medicine. “First, using a simple blood test, diseases can be identified and diagnosed earlier. That means faster treatment and better patient outcomes. Second, it helps clinicians choose the most effective treatment plan. For example, if a clinician knows at the very earliest stage of cancer that it’s metastatic, their approach to treating and managing the disease would be totally different than if they know the cancer is benign.”
A catalyst for change: Henry Ford Health, MSU celebrate groundbreaking of research center in Detroit
Researchers, community members, students, officials and more mark a pivotal moment as work begins on the 335,000-square-foot research facility. The Gilbert Family Foundation also celebrates the groundbreaking of the Nick Gilbert Neurofibromatosis Research Institute
It was a morning punctuated by celebration, collaboration and a visit from Michigan State University mascot, Sparty, as hundreds gathered to recognize the start of construction on the Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences Research Center in the New Center neighborhood.
MSU researchers discover honeybees can detect lung cancer
Michigan State University researchers have discovered that honeybees can detect biomarkers or chemical concentrations associated with lung cancer in human breath. The researchers have also shown that the honeybees can distinguish between different lung cancer cell types using only the ‘smell’ of the cell cultures. These findings could be used as a model for developing new tests to diagnose lung cancer early.
“Insects have an amazing sense of smell the same way dogs do,” said Debajit Saha, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering and MSU’s Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering.
Evaluating emerging technologies for cancer screening
Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences join NIH network
Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences this week was named to the National Institutes of Health clinical trials network to evaluate emerging technologies for cancer screening, with the goal of reducing cancer-related illnesses and deaths.The Cancer Screening Research Network will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s Cancer Moonshot initiative by investigating how to identify cancers earlier, when they may be easier to treat. Henry Ford + MSU is one of eight organizations that received funding from the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, to carry out the initial activities of the network.