By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. researchers have identified all 1,116 unique proteins found in human saliva glands, a discovery they said on Tuesday could usher in a wave of convenient, spit-based diagnostic tests that could be done without the need for a single drop of blood.
As many as 20 percent of the proteins that are found in saliva are also found in blood, said Fred Hagen, a researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York who worked on the study.
The researchers hope saliva-based tests could be used to diagnose cancer, heart disease, diabetes and a number of other conditions.
Already there are saliva-based antibody tests to detect human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, and hepatitis infections, Hagen said. He said this protein map will provide new targets.
Other groups are working on a saliva-based test for breast cancer that would detect a protein fragment from the HER2 protein. Hagen said such tests could eventually replace uncomfortable and costly mammograms.
"We envision in the future spitting in a tube and looking for a marker like this breast cancer marker. It would be much easier to do, potentially at home," he said.
(edited)
No comments:
Post a Comment