Research team finds a way to tag aggressive cancer cells

A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers has found a way to more easily identify brain cancer that could lead to earlier diagnoses and more effective treatment of the deadly disease.

UW-Madison associate professor of radiology Weibo Cai led the team that created an antibody to tag a specific gene that is highly active in glioblastoma multiforme, a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer, according to a university release.

The antibody attaches to the CD146 protein present in glioblastoma and, when mixed with a copper isotope, makes tumor cells light up in a PET scan. Read more.