Experimental MRI Dye May Spot Lung Tumours as Small as 1 mm
A protein-based MRI contrast agent detected lung tumours and metastases as small as 1 mm in animal studies, researchers report.
Researchers have developed an experimental contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging that may allow lung cancer to be diagnosed at far earlier stages than current methods permit. In animal studies, the protein-based dye — known as hProCA32.Collagen2 and under development by InLighta BioSciences — identified lung tumours and metastatic lesions as small as 1 millimetre, according to findings published in Science Advances.
Lung cancer is frequently detected only after it has spread, when treatment choices are narrower. The new agent targets collagen type I, a structural protein found at elevated levels in aggressive lung tumours and metastatic growths. Because it relies on MRI, the approach avoids exposing patients to radiation.
"Our technology can detect tiny tumours and hidden metastases without exposing patients to radiation," said study leader Janny Yang, InLighta's founder and chief scientific officer. She added that the technique also offers clues about how aggressive a cancer may be and how likely it is to spread, potentially reducing the need for invasive biopsies.
The researchers said the findings could carry implications beyond diagnosis. By allowing physicians to observe collagen remodelling — the breakdown of old or damaged collagen fibres and their replacement with newly organised proteins inside tumours — the technology may eventually help identify high-risk patients, guide treatment selection and track response to therapy over time.
Yang described the results as a significant advance for cancer diagnosis and precision medicine, noting that the study demonstrated for the first time that precision MRI can detect tiny tumours and whole-body metastases without harmful radiation while also indicating how aggressively a cancer may behave.
In a separate late-stage trial, Johnson & Johnson's antidepressant Caplyta significantly improved sexual dysfunction in patients with major depressive disorder that had not responded to standard treatment. Sexual side effects are a leading reason patients stop taking antidepressants, the study authors noted.
More than 80% of the 480 participants reported sexual dysfunction at the start of the trial, according to a report in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Questionnaire responses showed meaningful improvements among those randomly assigned to add a daily 42-milligram dose of Caplyta to their existing antidepressant therapy, compared with patients who added a placebo.
The benefits appeared in both younger and older adults and across aspects of sexual functioning including desire, arousal, orgasm and pleasure. No changes were seen in patients who did not have sexual dysfunction at baseline.
Caplyta, chemically known as lumateperone, is already commercially available for schizophrenia, bipolar depression and as an add-on treatment when other antidepressants fail to control major depressive disorder. Because it is not associated with medication-induced sexual dysfunction, it may be preferred by patients who need additional depression medication and wish to avoid that side effect, said study leader Dr Anita Clayton of University of Virginia Health.