Blood AIM Biomarker Testing for Pancreatic and Biliary Cancer
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Solution Overview
Problem
The relationship between the apoptosis inhibitor of macrophage (AIM) and cancer has not been previously reported, limiting its medical application in cancer diagnosis.
Innovation Solution
Measuring the concentration of active AIM in blood to determine the presence of specific cancers, such as biliary tract cancer and pancreatic cancer, by comparing it to a cutoff value, or measuring the ratio of active AIM to total AIM in blood to identify cancers like pancreatic cancer, biliary tract cancer, squamous cell lung cancer, large cell lung cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and esophageal cancer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If AIM concentration measurement is used for cancer diagnosis, then diagnostic capability is improved, but the relationship between AIM and cancer was previously unknown limiting application
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary investigation by measuring AIM concentrations in blood samples from cancer patients and healthy controls before establishing the diagnostic method. This preliminary data collection reveals the correlation between elevated AIM levels and specific cancer types, enabling subsequent diagnostic application
Solution Approach 2:
The invention establishes a feedback mechanism by comparing measured AIM concentrations against predetermined reference ranges derived from healthy control subjects. This feedback loop enables automatic determination of cancer presence based on whether the measured AIM level exceeds the normal range, making the diagnostic process objective and reproducible
2Measurement precision
If active AIM concentration is measured to diagnose cancer, then diagnostic accuracy for specific cancers is improved, but measurement and determination complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the specific diagnostic information needed (active AIM concentration) from the complex biological system by using targeted measurement methods. By focusing only on measuring active AIM levels and comparing them to reference ranges, the method extracts cancer diagnostic information without requiring analysis of all possible blood parameters, thus managing complexity while maintaining precision
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the measurement parameter from general protein analysis to specific active AIM concentration measurement. By defining clear threshold values and reference ranges for active AIM levels, the method transforms a complex biological diagnosis problem into a straightforward parameter comparison task, improving precision while controlling complexity through parameter standardization
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present invention provides a method for testing for cancer in a subject, including measuring the concentration of an active apoptosis inhibitor of macrophage (AIM) in blood from the subject, wherein it is determined that the subject is potentially suffering from at least one selected from the group consisting of biliary tract cancer and pancreatic cancer, when the concentration of the active AIM in the blood from the subject is higher than that in a healthy subject.