Dr Krassen Dimitrov, from UQ's Australian Institute for Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, has developed fluorescent "barcodes" called nanostrings, offers greater sensitivity and accuracy than current detection methods.

The research has been published the prestigious international journal Nature Biotechnology.

Dr Dimitrov said nanostrings bind to RNA molecules for digital gene expression analysis.

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"Because this system can count the exact number of biomolecules present we can get an extremely accurate and sensitive picture of gene expression at a particular point in time," Dr Dimitrov said.

"This quantitative data is superior to other gene expression systems such as microarrays, which rely on the analogue measurement of fluorescence and therefore are less accurate and have a limited range.

"The nanostring is an important technological development in both clinical and research settings. We will be able to more accurately detect molecules associated with particular diseases and in the research arena, we will be able to identify new molecules associated with diseases and trace these back to the genes responsible."

He said the technology is based on a non-enzymatic process which reduces the chance of bias and is more robust in a variety of different conditions.

Dr Dimitrov is currently working on the next step, which will be new nano-barcodes that will further reduce the cost and improve sensitivity and usability.

This technology has been commercialised in Seattle by a company founded by Dr Dimitrov in 2003.

The AIBN is a multi-disciplinary research institute based at UQ, which brings together the skills of world-class researchers in the areas of bioengineering and nanotechnology to produce positive health and environmental outcomes such as biomedical delivery; bio-devices; tissue regeneration; and cell therapies.

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Enrolled patients take a daily dose of temozolomide orally during radiotherapy. At the completion of radiotherapy, patients are randomly assigned to receive either the standard treatment schedule consisting of temozolomide once a day for five days every four weeks for up to one year, or the longer schedule, consisting of temozolomide once a day for 21 days every four weeks for up to one year. Patients receive an MRI or CT scan at regular intervals to assess tumor size and treatment effect. The researchers will keep track of the patient's medical condition for the rest of his or her life.

The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) is a cosponsor of this four-year, multicenter trial, funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The RTOG-led study, RTOG 0525/EORTC 26052_22053: Phase III Trial Comparing Conventional Adjuvant Temozolomide with Dose-Intensive Temozolomide in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma, builds upon the work of Mark R. Gilbert, M.D., the RTOG study chair from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and the work of Roger Stupp, M.D., University of Lausanne in Switzerland, with the EORTC and the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

The RTOG and the EORTC have played key roles in the development of new cancer treatments for several decades. The goals of the two groups are to increase survival and improve quality of life for patients diagnosed with cancer.

Click to read the RTOG 0525 patient brochure.(PDF)

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