In the News: ICRF Research by Prof. Efrat Shema on New Blood Test for Diagnosing Breast Cancer

A blood test that detected early-stage breast cancer with 95% accuracy is at the center of new research by former ICRF grantee Prof. Efrat Shema of the Weizmann Institute of Science. The study, “Epigenetic heterogeneity in breast tumours informs diagnosis and prognosis,” was published in Nature, a leading scientific journal, and was featured in The Times of Israel. The research was funded in part by ICRF.

The team studied differences among cells within breast tumors. They discovered a group of aggressive cells hiding within tumors usually classified as less aggressive, which may help explain why some breast cancers behave worse than expected.

The researchers then looked for signs of these cancers in the blood. By analyzing chemical tags on DNA-packaging proteins circulating in blood samples, they identified epigenetic signatures linked to breast cancer and to patients’ risk of the disease returning. This points toward a future in which a simple blood test could help detect breast cancer early and identify patients who need closer monitoring.

ICRF is proud to have supported Prof. Shema through a Research Career Development Award and an Acceleration Grant, named in honor of the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation, and to see her work contribute to discoveries that could benefit patients everywhere.