Colon cancer is currently the third-leading cause of all cancer-related deaths in the United States. It's not easy to talk about, but it may soon get easier to treat.
A UMass Amherst research group recently attracted attention for their research on colon inflammation, which is a huge risk factor for colon cancer. They hope this research can lead to a possible treatment in the future.
But what might they need for further research? Any anatomy 101 student could tell you that ions like Na+, K+, and Cl- are fundamental for proper function of the large intestine, so it's no surprise that our ion-flux-analyzing NMT systems have been used in some similar research.
UMass Amherst News
A recent article in the Boston Globe advertised the upcoming release of a UMass Food Science department paper, to be published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Professor Guodong Zhang, the primary investigator, specializes in researching colon inflammation and cancer risk.
This paper covers their discovery that a certain enzyme called soluble epoxide hydrolase, or sEH, causes increased colon inflammation. Since colon inflammation is a major risk factor for colon cancer, Dr. Zhang is hoping that the next step will be to successfully block sEH with an inhibitor.
NMT Applications
Inhibitors are a good place to start when moving from medical research to actual treatments, and inhibitor testing is a very important step in the process.
In 2015, Li-Sheng Li et al. tested an inhibitor in their paper published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, and they used NMT as a screening tool. They found that when they introduced the inhibitor to their live colon mucosa samples, it triggered a clear and strong efflux of Cl-. They stated that NMT* is a "novel recording method that can overcome the shortcomings of [traditional] recording techniques" (reference 2).
There are a few more NMT papers included in the references below that measured ion flux in insect intestines, to inspire any curious scientists. This is still a mostly unexplored application, so it's a great opportunity for anyone investigating colon health to break into a new instrument and gain some unique physiological data for their research.
With brilliant scientists like Dr. Zhang and innovative new technologies like NMT, new treatments for colon cancer may be right around the corner!
References
- Boston Globe: UMass Amherst food scientists discover how obesity could be linked to colon cancer. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/04/30/umass-amherst-food-scientists-discover-how-obesity-could-linked-colon-cancer/GRe1lkWKTXKVN77Fn6yANK/story.html
- Li-Sheng Li et al. Effect of entacapone on colon motility and ion transport in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i12.3509 (*SIET is an old name for NMT.)
- Mark Vanderveken,et al. Effects of diuretic hormone 31,drosokinin,and allatostatin a on transepithelial K+ Transport and contraction frequency in the midgut and hindgut of larval. Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology, 2014 , 85:2,76–93
- Lisa Robertson, et al. K+ absorption by locust gut and inhibition of ileal K+ and water transport by FGLamide allatostatins. Journal of Experimental Biology, 2014, 217(Pt 18):3377-3385
- Ryan Belowitz,et al. Ion-selective microelectrode measurements of Tl+ and K+ transport by the gut and associated epithelia in Chironomus riparius. Aquatic Toxicology. 2013, 138– 139, 70– 80
Check Out More Applications NMT's most popular field is currently plant physiology, but creative scientists are applying it to new fields every day, like diabetes and cancer research. Now, labs using NMT systems have published over 700 papers in top journals! Our clients' top feedback is that the their high-quality results help them get published, thanks to the non-invasive nature of our technology, which allows them to measure live, physiologically accurate samples.
Experience the NMT Physiolyzer® Our most advanced NMT system yet: This highly advanced instrument is allowing scientists to discover physiological functions of live samples in innovative new ways. With customizable software, you can choose from 12 ions and molecules for your own personalized system.
The Theory of NMT Check out the principles of how NMT works.
