Irish Cancer Society grassroots research funding leads to a simple and cheap blood test for bowel cancer

The Irish Cancer Society is excited at today’s news that Irish scientists are developing a simple and inexpensive blood test which can be used as an early detection tool for bowel cancer. The test will work by detecting specific antibodies which are produced by the body in reaction to the onset of bowel cancer and may potentially save thousands of lives by detecting the disease at the earliest opportunity.
 
The initial research into this new test was funded by the Irish Cancer Society and was performed by Dr Gregor Kijanka, DCU. Dr Kijanka was awarded almost €220,000 in 2010 through the Irish Cancer Society’s Research Fellowship
Programme to investigate which specific antibodies in the body could be used to develop a test to detect bowel cancer.

The initial Irish Cancer Society-funded research subsequently gathered great interest from the clinical diagnostics industry and is now being further developed by scientists at the DCU-based Biomedical Diagnostics Institute (BDI) in partnership with biotech company Randox Technologies and is being funded by Enterprise Ireland and Randox.

The new blood test for bowel cancer could cost as little €25, and would complement BowelScreen, the existing National Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, a government-funded programme which offers free bowel screening to men and women aged 60-69 through a simple home test kit.

Cancer of the bowel happens when cells in the bowel change and grow much faster than usual. While bowel cancer is a very serious illness, early diagnosis leads to improved survival. If bowel cancer is found early, the growth is typically small and can be removed leaving the person healthy, and needing less treatment. 

Bowel cancer can occur in men and women and in 2011, 2,429 people were newly diagnosed. It is also the second most common cause of cancer death in Ireland.

Irish Cancer Society Research Manager Dr. Amanda Daly said “We feel encouraged that our investment in the early stages of this exciting research has led to this test which has the potential to have far-reaching benefits to cancer patients. The additional funding provided by Enterprise Ireland and Randox not only highlights the world class research being carried out in Ireland but also highlights the importance of investing in promising early-stage researchers such as Dr. Kijanka.”

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