Media Release

Dubai, May 17: Liquid biopsy is being considered to be a new paradigm in cancer diagnosis and management in UAE. It is a blood test that detects changes in normal DNA sequence shed by cancer cells in the blood. It can be used to predict cancer relapse well ahead of time even before tumors are seen on scans. This test could easily help clinicians and patient stay a step ahead of cancer by monitoring the changes and thus reactively picking treatments that fit attacking a particular tumor.

When conducted over a period of time, the blood test is capable of tracking the genetic changes or mutational changes that occur over a period of time and predict accurately if the cancer is about to return. The test is not only non invasive but also can be done repeatedly to capture the mutations accumulated over a period of time and accurately predicts metastatic relapse in patients which then allows for a better decision in treatment. It allows for a personalized treatment.

The Liquid bioposy lab is an outcome of Translational Cancer Research at the Gulf Medical University researchers led by Prof Salem Chouaib, well known internationally in the field of cancer immunology – leading the Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine.

Prof Salem indicated that this new achievement is due to the support for research provided by GMU and the Thumbay Hospitals. It is a reflection of the collaboration in UAE between researchers and hospitals who have contributed to this achievement. Sheikh Khalifa Hospital, Ras Al Khaimah is one of our main collaborators in this domain, he maintained.