Membrane-bound actin biomarker for metastasis detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for assessing cancer stage and predicting metastasis are invasive and lack effective biomarkers, leading to inadequate prognosis and treatment strategies.

Innovation Solution

Detection of membrane-bound actin, particularly beta-actin, in samples from cancer patients to determine the likelihood of metastasis, diagnose metastatic cancer, and monitor treatment response.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If lymph node biopsy is performed to assess cancer stage and predict metastasis, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but patient suffering and invasiveness increase due to severe side effects such as lymphedema

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvediagnostic accuracyVSAvoidpatient suffering

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses membrane-bound actin as an intermediary biomarker that indirectly indicates metastatic potential without requiring direct invasion into lymph nodes. This mediator allows diagnosis of metastatic risk through blood samples, eliminating the need for invasive lymph node biopsies while maintaining diagnostic accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical invasive procedure of lymph node biopsy with a biochemical detection method. Instead of physically sampling lymph nodes, the invention detects metastatic potential through biochemical markers (membrane-bound actin) in blood samples, substituting mechanical invasion with molecular detection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If invasive procedures such as lymph node biopsy are used to stage cancer, then prognosis accuracy is improved, but treatment complexity and patient burden increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprognosis accuracyVSAvoidtreatment simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces membrane-bound actin detection as an intermediary method that provides reliable prognostic information through simple blood sampling. This mediator enables accurate prognosis assessment without requiring complex invasive procedures, thereby maintaining reliability while improving ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If current metastasis assessment methods are used, then diagnostic capability is maintained, but the need for invasive procedures and lack of effective biomarkers persist

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemetastasis detection capabilityVSAvoidprocedural complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the essential diagnostic function from complex invasive procedures by identifying and measuring a specific biomarker (membrane-bound actin) in blood samples. This extraction allows metastasis detection capability to be maintained while removing the procedural complexity of invasive biopsies and staging procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4196791B1Metastatic biomarker

Publication Date: 2025.04.30 OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY

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AI summary

The invention relates to a method of determining whether a subject who has been diagnosed with cancer is likely to develop, or is likely to have developed, a metastasis, wherein the method comprises detecting the level of membrane-bound actin in a sample obtained from the subject, The invention also relates to methods and markers to diagnose, prognose, monitor and/or stage cancer, in particular metastatic cancer..