Circulating Nucleic Acid Biomarkers for Early Colorectal Cancer Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for detecting colorectal cancer are inefficient and there is a need for more effective diagnostic tools.
Innovation Solution
The identification of circulating nucleic acid (CNA) biomarkers, specifically polynucleotide fragments associated with colorectal cancer, which are present at elevated or decreased levels in the blood of patients, allowing for the detection of colorectal cancer through methods such as sequencing, hybridization, and use of probes or probe sets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If colonoscopy and stool tests are used to detect colorectal cancer, then detection capability is provided, but efficiency and effectiveness are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical detection methods (colonoscopy) and chemical screening methods (stool tests) with a molecular biology-based detection system that analyzes circulating nucleic acids in blood. This substitution enables more accurate and efficient detection by identifying cancer-specific genetic markers at the molecular level, thereby improving both reliability and productivity of colorectal cancer detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the detection parameter from macroscopic or chemical indicators to specific nucleic acid sequences (circulating tumor DNA, microsatellite instability markers, mutational signatures) in the bloodstream. This parameter change allows for earlier, more accurate, and non-invasive detection of colorectal cancer, resolving the contradiction between detection effectiveness and efficiency.
2Loss of time
If traditional detection methods are used, then some detection capability is achieved, but early detection and treatment monitoring are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables preliminary detection of colorectal cancer by analyzing circulating nucleic acids in blood before clinical symptoms appear or before traditional methods can detect the disease. By detecting cancer-specific genetic markers early in the disease process, the system allows for early intervention and treatment planning, reducing the time loss associated with late-stage diagnosis while maintaining high detection accuracy through molecular specificity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides a method for diagnosing colorectal cancer by analyzing cell-free DNA in blood samples, correlating the levels of specific chromosomal regions with the presence of the disease, enabling early detection and monitoring treatment efficacy.
Implementation Method 1
detecting the level of at least one cell-free DNA having a nucleotide sequence falling within a chromosomal region set forth in Table 2 in the sample
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides methods and reagents for diagnosing colorectal cancer that are based on the detection of biomarkers in the circulating nucleic acids from a patient to be evaluated.