York scientists say that luminous cells from jellyfish can be used to diagnose cancers deep inside the body. The process used the green fluorescent protein (GFP) enabling jellyfish to glow in the dark.
Researchers in North Yorkshire found it can be targeted at cancer cells allowing them to be spotted using a special camera. A team from the Yorkshire Cancer Research Laboratory at York University has developed the procedure.
The team's leader, Professor Norman Maitland, believes it will revolutionize the way some cancers are diagnosed. He says, "Cancers deep within the body are difficult to spot at an early stage, and early diagnosis is critical for the successful treatment of any form of cancer.
"What we have developed is a process which involves inserting proteins derived from luminous jellyfish cells into human cancer cells.
"Then, when we illuminate the tissue, a special camera detects these proteins as they light up, indicating where the tumors are."
The team expects the procedure to be ready for clinical trials within five years, if the research continues to go according to plan. A United States company is the only one which has so far designed and built a camera system which allows the jellyfish proteins to be seen with the desired resolution so deep in the body.
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