Liquid biopsy is a new paradigm in cancer diagnosis and management in the UAE. This is a blood test that detects changes in normal DNA sequence shed by cancer cells in the blood. It can be used to predict cancer relapse well ahead of time even before tumors are seen on scans. This test could easily help clinicians and patient stay a step ahead of cancer by monitoring the changes and thus reactively picking treatments that fit attacking a particular tumor.
When conducted over a period of time, the blood test is capable of tracking the genetic changes or mutational changes that occur over a period of time and predict accurately if the cancer is about to return.
The test is not only non-invasive but also can be done repeatedly to capture the mutations accumulated over a period of time and accurately predicts metastatic relapse in patients which then allows for a better decision in treatment. It allows for a personalised treatment.
Led by Prof. Salem Chouaib, the liquid bioposy lab is an outcome of translational cancer research at the Gulf Medical University. Internationally well-known in the field of cancer immunology, Prof. Salem Chouaib leads the Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine.
Prof. Salem indicated that this new achievement is due to the support for research provided by GMU and the Thumbay Hospitals. "It is a reflection of the colloboration in UAE between researchers and hospitals who have contributed to this achievement. Sheikh Khalifa Hospital Ras Al Khaimah is one of our main colloborator in this domain.
"We are ready to colloborate with all the cancer centers in the UAE and the Gulf region in order to use our liquid bioposy lab and make it a center of excellence in cancer genomic and immuno-oncology in the UAE."
