Researchers hope that early detection, through the simple urine test, could enable earlier treatment interventions, significantly improving patient outcomes and prognosis. Around 36,600 lives are saved from lung cancer in the UK every year, according to new analysis from Cancer Research UK. Professor Ljiljana Fruk and Dr Daniel Munoz Espin and their teams at the University of Cambridge are leading on the research, funded by Cancer Research UK.

相关研究工作由剑桥大学的化学工程与生物技术系以及早期癌症研究所联合开展，目的是开发一款便宜实惠的传感器，以尿液作为检测样本来协助医生在病情发展前检测到肺癌。

The work, at Cambridge’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, and the Early Cancer Institute, will provide a cheap, affordable sensor that uses urine samples to help doctors detect lung cancer before the disease develops.

对于众多肺癌患者而言，肺癌的预断往往不甚理想，原因在于该疾病在扩散至整个肺部或身体其他部位前，通常没有什么明显症状。而这项创新的尿液检测技术，有望帮助医生在癌症尚未发展之前就能发现它。

Lung cancer has a poor prognosis for many patients because often there are no noticeable symptoms until it has spread through the lungs or into other parts of the body. The new urine test will allow doctors to spot the disease before it develops.

为了开发出这一检测方法，科学家们深入研究了由老化细胞释放的蛋白质。这些老化细胞被称为“僵尸”细胞，因为他们还存活着但已经失去了生长与分裂的能力。正是这些“僵尸”细胞通过改变其周边环境以利于癌细胞生成，导致了机体组织的损伤。

目前，研究人员已经开发出一种可注射的传感器，该传感器与僵尸细胞蛋白质相互作用，并排放一种易被检测到的化合物到尿液中，从而表明了这些细胞的存在。

Now, researchers have developed an injectable sensor that interacts with zombie cell proteins and releases easily detectable compound into urine, signalling their presence.

弗鲁克教授表示：“癌症的早期检测需要经济有效的工具和策略，以实现快速、精确的检测。我们设计了一种基于肽键裂解蛋白质的检测方法，这些蛋白质在有僵尸细胞存在时含量较高，也就是癌症的早期阶段。”

“Early detection of cancer requires cost-effective tools and strategies that enable detection to happen quickly and accurately,” said Fruk. “We designed a test based on peptide-cleaving proteins, which are found at higher levels in the presence of zombie cells, and in turn appear in the early stages of cancer.

“我们最终希望开发一种尿液检测方法，能够帮助医生识别癌症早期迹象的技术，这可能是出现明显症状的几个月甚至几年之前。”

“Ultimately, we want to develop a urine test that could help doctors identify signs of the early stages of cancer – potentially months or even years before noticeable symptoms appear.”

除了针对肺癌，弗鲁克教授期望她的研究在与其他大学部门的通力合作下，能够进一步推动用于诊断其他类型癌症的探测技术开发。

As well as targeting lung cancer, Fruk hopes her research, along with joint efforts across other university departments, will result in the development of probes capable of detecting other cancers.

她表示：“我们已经差不多完成了能够检测肺癌患者体内‘僵尸’细胞的尿液检测技术，这项技术能够更早检测癌症且不需要侵入性手段。不仅如此，该检测技术还具备应用到其他癌症的潜力。要开发出更高效率的癌症治疗方案，我们既需要更早的检测手段和更优的治疗策略，也离不开跨学科的深入合作，以实现对疾病的全方位理解，这正是我的研究不可或缺的一环。”

“We have almost completed a functional urine test to detect ‘zombie' cells in lung cancer, which will spot cancer earlier and avoid the need for invasive procedures, but this test does have potential for other cancers,” she said. “Developing more efficient cancer treatments requires earlier detection and better therapies, but also work with other disciplines for a more holistic view of the disease, which is an essential part of my research.”

从发现肺癌的病因到率先研发出治疗药物，英国癌症研究中心在帮助受肺癌困扰的人群方面取得了显著进展。在过去的10年里，该慈善机构在肺癌研究方面的投资超过2.31亿英镑。

From uncovering the causes of lung cancer to pioneering drugs to treat it, Cancer Research UK has helped power progress for people affected by lung cancer. Over the last 10 years, the charity has invested over £231 million in lung cancer research.

英国癌症研究中心研究与创新执行总监伊恩·福克斯（Iain Foulkes）博士强调道：“英国癌症研究中心在推动肺癌研究领域和提高癌症存活率取得了显著成就。弗鲁克教授所领导的这一项目，再次彰显了我们致力于追求进步的坚定承诺，只有这样，才能让让更多人能够远离癌症的阴影，享受更长久、更健康的生活。”

“Cancer Research UK has played a key role in advancing lung cancer research and improving survival,” said Dr Iain Foulkes, Cancer Research UK’s executive director of research and innovation. “This project being led by Professor Fruk is another example of our commitment to driving progress so that more people can live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.”

本文改编自英国癌症研究中心的相关报道。

Adapted from a Cancer Research UK media release.