Cancer research leap thanks to Yorkshire doctor

A NEW product that can help scientists identify cancer cells has been launched following collaboration between Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and global medical firm Becton Dickinson.

BD Intrasure allows scientists to study particles on the inside of cells, or intracellular markers, by flow cytometry which is a technique commonly used in the research of leukaemia and lymphoma.

Some markers are on the surface of cancer cells but most are inside the cells.
Currently the intracellular markers are usually tested on solid tissue samples, which take a day or two to process. Performing the research by a flow cytometry takes a couple of hours.

The BD Intrasure reagents support this key research tool by ensuring that cancer cells are opened up to reveal the intracellular markers while being kept in a suitable morphological state.

The products’s inventor Dr Andy Rawstron, who works at St. James’s Institute of Oncology, said he saw the need for the technology as there was no standard product available that worked optimally in all research settings.

“One reason why research of intracellular markers by flow cytometry hadn’t taken off was because the available kits either damaged some markers or damaged the cells,” he said.

“We wanted something that would work for all markers without having to use different preparation protocols for different markers.”

Medipex, the NHS Innovation Hub for Yorkshire, played a pivotal role in developing the relationship between Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Becton Dickinson, which was looking for a product that provided a broader spectrum of research use than its current technology.

“Medipex provided the opportunity to help get the technology turned into a commercial product. Before it existed there wasn’t a clear way to deal with products from the NHS,” added Dr. Rawstron.

“I’ve spent more than five years perfecting this research kit. Seeing it in a Becton Dickinson box in the lab is an amazing feeling.”