한국재료연구원(KIMS, 원장 최철진) 바이오·헬스재료연구본부 정호상 박사 연구팀이 침, 점액, 소변 등 체액 내 암 대사체의 광신호를 증폭하고, 이를 인공지능으로 분석해 암을 진단하는 혁신적인 센서 소재를 개발했다.

▲Technology for diagnosing colon cancer using colonic mucus
AI Analysis of Optical Signal Amplification of Cancer Metabolites in Body Fluids
A material technology that can diagnose cancer early through artificial intelligence (AI) analysis based on body fluids has been developed, and expectations are high that it will contribute to improving national health in the future.
The Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS, President Choi Cheol-jin) announced on the 12th that the research team led by Dr. Jeong Ho-sang of the Bio and Health Materials Research Center has developed an innovative sensor material that amplifies the optical signals of cancer metabolites in body fluids such as saliva, mucus, and urine, and analyzes them using artificial intelligence to diagnose cancer.
This technology is a non-invasive technology that diagnoses cancer by quickly and highly sensitively detecting metabolites and changes in cancer patients from body fluids, rather than using invasive methods such as conventional blood collection or tissue examination.
The research team, together with Professor Yoo Su-woong's team at Chonnam National University Hospital, successfully diagnosed colon cancer by inserting a plasmonic needle that amplifies the Raman signal of molecules into a 1mm hole that can be inserted together with a colonoscopy camera, wiping the tumor surface without bleeding, and analyzing the components.
In addition, together with Professor Jeong Byeong-ho's team at Samsung Seoul Hospital, we developed a technology to collect saliva from lung cancer patients and distinguish the stage of cancer.
The breath of lung cancer patients contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are different from those of normal people and dissolve in saliva and exist as lung cancer metabolites.
The research team used this paper-based sensor. We have completed a technology to detect and distinguish between normal people and lung cancer patients and to classify lung cancer stages using artificial intelligence.
There are many cases where the owner found out that the dog was barking strangely and took it to the hospital, only to find out that the dog had cancer. This is because dogs have a sensitive sense of smell that allows them to smell metabolic products, including VOCs, that exist in human body fluids.
The research team sought to implement this principle as a cancer diagnosis sensor. The technology detected the signal of metabolites in body fluids with high sensitivity through plasmonic materials that amplify Raman signals by more than 100 million times without using existing complex and expensive equipment. Biomarkers were proposed through artificial intelligence analysis and mathematical modeling calculations, and used for diagnosis.
“The development technology can be expanded not only to diagnose cancer but also to diseases with little-known diagnostic methods, such as synaptic diseases,” said Ho-Sang Jeong, a senior researcher at the Materials Research Institute and the head of the research team. “We will take the lead in entering the global diagnostic market based on domestic original technologies and developing technologies that the public can experience.”
The research team is working hard to develop technology that will increase public interest and awareness, to the point that it was selected as the top research achievement in the 'Top 10 Excellent Research Achievements of the Year' survey conducted by the Korea Institute of Materials Science last year.
This research was carried out with the support of the Basic Project of the Korea Institute of Materials Science and the Biomedical Technology Development Project of the National Research Foundation of Korea.
The results of the study were published in three papers and were recognized for their excellence. It was published in two articles on January 15, 2024 and August 3, 2024 in 'Biosensors and Bioelectronics (IF: 10.7, JCR<3%)', a world-renowned journal in the field of biosensors, and in 'Sensors and Actuators B-Chemical (IF: 8, JCR<1%)' on August 1. In addition, a total of 10 related patents have been applied for in Korea, the United States, and Europe as a result of this research.
Meanwhile, the research team developed a cancer diagnosis technology using urine last year and transferred the technology to Solum Healthcare Co., Ltd., and is currently in the process of obtaining approval. This year, the technology has been advanced to the level of simultaneously detecting the presence of multiple cancers in urine. According to the research team, urine samples from about 250 patients with pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and colon cancer were analyzed simultaneously, and simultaneous rapid analysis and AI-based discrimination are possible within about 2 hours for 100 patients. In addition, the research team explained that clinical sensitivity and specificity were achieved at over 98%.