Can tears be used to detect breast cancer?
That’s the question that American biotechnology company Ascendant Dx is asking at special movie screenings in Auckland. Ascendant Dx have teamed up with the Rialto Channel and the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation to bring you the Breast Cancer Screenings – a special movie event at Academy Cinema, designed to make you shed a very useful tear.
Ascendant Dx have developed a tear collecting device, which looks for certain protein biomarkers that indicate the presence of breast cancer. It takes just half an hour to produce a result, and is cheaper and more accessible than a mammogram.
“Our goal is to have Melody available in physician offices and wellness clinics so that testing could be done during a yearly wellness visit,” says Melody lead scientist Dr Anna Daily.
Another advantage of the test is that it doesn't require any specialised equipment. Mammography equipment can be very expensive, so the tear test could be used in parts of the world where it isn’t feasible to have screening centres.
It’s early days for the device, which will have to go through extensive clinical testing before it’s available to use as a diagnostic tool. In order to test the device, the researchers need tear samples, which is where the movie-goers come in.
On Tuesday November 1st, Rialto Channel is putting on “The Breast Cancer Screenings” – because nothing makes you cry like a good movie. Participants will watch the Oscar-nominated movie Brooklyn, and donate a tear to Ascendant Dx’s research.
The tear collection is simple, and the test isn’t at all painful. The researcher gently presses on the skin below one eye and lightly places the end of a strip of absorbent fabric on the lower eyelid. Participants simply close their eyes for about 3 minutes before the researcher removes the strip.
The tears collected at the screening will be used to test the stability of tear proteins, so the participants won’t receive any results based on their tear samples. To detect breast cancer early, mammograms are the most effective option. If you’re the right age for free screening (45-69) and not enrolled with BreastScreen Aotearoa, you can sign up here.