HKU adopts single-cell sequencing for precise nasopharyngeal cancer diagnosis

Through the technique, a set of biomarkers were discovered for over 90% accuracy in correlation to the disease.

NASOPHARYNGEAL carcinoma holds ground as a common concern in Hong Kong, prompting a group of experts from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) to develop the Curedevise project for more accurate and precise diagnosis.

To improve diagnostics precision, HKU adopted a technique called “single-cell sequencing,” which involves sequencing every tumour cell to identify DNA, RNA, or protein biomarkers that correlate with nasopharyngeal cancer.

According to Victor Ho-Fun Lee, chairperson and clinical associate professor at HKU, they have discovered a panel of important biomarkers highly correlated statistically with the disease’s diagnosis.

“The accuracy and sensitivity is more than 90%, which is even higher compared to the current standard of the plasma Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) DNA,” Lee told Healthcare Asia in a recent interview.

Moreover, the team has identified a set of predictive biomarkers that can forecast treatment efficacy.

“For a very small group of patients, they may harbour an important subset of biomarkers, which predict treatment relapse,” Lee said.

“If we can, in advance, tell our patients that apart from having cancer, you also have a higher chance for relapse, then we can design a more personalised treatment strategy for such high-risk groups,” he added.

Rapid diagnostic tests

Traditionally, nasopharyngeal cancer diagnosis starts with referring patients to an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon for nasal endoscopic examinations and biopsies.

“Unfortunately, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we could not perform many endoscopy examinations for our patients, primarily because it is a highly aerosol-generating procedure,” Lee told Healthcare Asia.

In response to such limitations, the team aimed to develop rapid diagnostic tests that render quicker and highly accurate results whilst using less invasive techniques.

“A major advantage of this so-called rapid antigen test is that we no longer need to rely on our ENT surgeons to perform endoscopy examinations. Instead, we can ask our community doctors, family care physicians, and primary care doctors to do this test in clinics,” Lee said.

“Additionally, patients can have the result available within the next 20 minutes or so, similar to the rapid antigen tests for COVID-19."

A progressive outlook

One main goal of HKU is to have their rapid nasopharyngeal tests available for use within the next two years.

“We can provide our patients point-of-care services such as clinical service and screening tests once this product is available,” Lee said

“Hopefully, patients can have the disease diagnosed much earlier to have access to prompt treatment and better survival,” he added.

When asked about partnerships, Lee mentioned the Queen Mary Hospital and its significance to their project. “All the patients who contributed tumour samples came from Queen Mary hospital,” Lee said.

Moreover, HKU intends to partner with local hospitals and expand validation studies to other major cancer hospitals in mainland China and Southeast Asia.

“We want to make sure that this is not just applicable in Hong Kong or the Mainland, but also clinically practical in other parts of the world,” Lee said.