2024-05-12 00:16:17
Geologists and climatologists have studied the natural distribution of hydrogen atoms for decades to understand prehistoric climates and geological processes. This is possible because hydrogen exists in two main varieties, called isotopes. The first isotope is the one we usually think of when we think of hydrogen – but there is another isotope called deuterium which is slightly heavier.
There is much more “standard” hydrogen in nature than deuterium. However, the exact ratio of these atoms depends on various environmental factors. This makes isotope ratios a great way to study past climates and rock formations – but what can it tell us about our own bodies?
In a new study published žurnale „Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences“a group of researchers led by Ashley Maloney, a geochemist at the University of Colorado (USA), set out to investigate how these hydrogen relationships change in growing biological organisms.
Examining these relationships in yeast and mouse liver cells, the team found that extremely fast-growing cells, similar to cancer cells, had significantly more hydrogen than deuterium.
Research is still in its infancy, but these results mean that this ratio of “standard” hydrogen to deuterium could act as an atomic “fingerprint” for cancer cells, making it easier to spot early tumor growth.
“Your chances of survival are much higher if cancer is diagnosed early,” says Sebastian Kopf, one of the authors of the article. “If this isotopic indicator is strong enough to be detected in a blood test, it could be an important clue that something is wrong.”
This method has yet to be tested in humans, but these findings offer exciting possibilities for cancer diagnostics in the future.
“This research brings a whole new layer to medicine, allowing us to look at cancer at the atomic level,” says Maloney.
Parenting page “Newsweek”.
2024-05-12 00:16:17