Hong Kong researcher's cancer-test technology named in world top 10
Professor Dennis Lo's liquid biopsy for early detection hailed by leading magazine
A new method of detecting cancer early using a few drops of blood, developed by a Hong Kong researcher, has been named as one of the top 10 breakthrough technologies this year by a globally respected magazine.
The liquid biopsy technology, cited by MIT Technology Review, was the result of over 20 years of research by Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, associate dean of medicine at Chinese University.
Lo has recently made major breakthroughs in spotting cancers of the liver, and nose and throat, at the earliest stage using the new DNA sequencing technique, with success rates from 85 per cent to 96 per cent.
"We always knew the value of liquid biopsy to the medical world," Lo said. "But by being acknowledged by an external body, I hope it will escalate the development in the field."
He explained that the technique aims to spot mutated genes which lead to cancer by sequencing the entire genome and pinpointing abnormal cells.
In 1997, Lo was the first to develop a simple prenatal screening to detect Down's syndrome in the fetus, which is now widely used by pregnant mothers. Since the discovery, Lo has been expanding the application of the same technology to other areas.