Science Highlights

Shining Light on Brain Tumours

The estimates that 2600 new cases of brain cancer will be diagnosed in 2010. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive and malignant form of brain cancer, and attempts to successfully treat GBM tumours depends on identifying tumour cells – both when detecting cancer in biopsies and when ensuring that all of the cancer has been removed after surgery. “For me, the synchrotron is like the fingerprinting powder used by investigators,” says Dr. Ali. “Using the synchrotron’s infrared beamline is like dusting for fingerprints – we “dust” the tumour to detect its molecular fingerprint pattern. We can then ID the ‘perpetrator’ from its own unique fingerprint.” With the help of the Canadian Light Source, a team led by Dr. Kaiser Ali, a pediatric oncologist in the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency’s Cancer Research Unit and collaborators from the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Health Region, CLS and the National Research Council have been able to identify a chemical signature unique to GBM tumour cells. The pilot study made the front cover of the July 2010 issue of the International Journal of Molecular Medicine.

Dr. Ali and his team compared paired slices of cancerous and healthy brain tissue that had been removed from GBM patients. One of the specimens from each pair was stained and examined by a pathologist using a regular light microscope. The second specimen was then examined under the synchrotron’s infrared spectromicroscope, which is capable of detecting the tell-tale signatures of biomolecules such as proteins, carbohydrate and fat components inside individual cells and build a chemical map.
Read the full story on the CLS website

Shedding Infrared Light on Esophageal Disease

Barrett’s Esophagus (BE) occurs when the cells that normally line the esophagus – the tube that connects our throat to our stomach – are replaced by cells that resemble those that line the intestine, leading in some cases to esophageal cancer. Luca Quaroni, a researcher at the Canadian Light Source and Dr. Alan Casson, Head of the Department of Surgery in the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine used the CLS’s infrared microscope to identify Barrett’s esophagus cells from their unique chemical fingerprint. The finding was published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal, The Analyst.
“The advantage of using microscopes with synchrotron light is that it allows us to identify the biomarkers inside specific cells,” explained Quaroni.
While BE only affects approximately 1 percent of North Americans, the number of people diagnosed with the condition is on the rise, with the increasing incidence of chronic heartburn (gastro-esophageal reflux disease or GERD) which is considered a risk factor for developing BE. The condition, in turn, can lead to an aggressive form of cancer known as esophageal adenocarcinoma.
Read the full story on the CLS website