A University of Missouri scientist develops a cancer “flashlight” that helps identify which patients are most likely to respond to targeted therapies.
To better understand which patients may respond to targeted cancer therapies, a University of Missouri researcher is developing a new way to make tumors visible at the molecular level.
In a recent study, Barry Edwards, an associate professor of biochemistry in the School of Medicine, engineered a very small antibody that is able to recognize and bind to EphA2, a protein frequently present in cancerous tumors. The antibody was then linked to a radioactive marker, making it detectable during a positron emission tomography (PET) scan.
Tests in mice showed that this cancer-detecting “flashlight” produced a strong signal in tumors that contained EphA2. The findings suggest that this labeled antibody could be used not only to locate cancer, but also to help determine which patients are most likely to benefit from new treatments that specifically target EphA2-positive tumor cells while leaving healthy tissue unharmed.
Identifying the Right Patients for the Right Treatments
“By finding out which patients have high or low amounts of EphA2, we can determine who is most likely to benefit from a targeted cancer treatment,” Edwards, who also has an appointment in the College of Arts and Science, said. “There is no sense in giving a treatment that won’t work to a patient, so this new process we created saves time and money while advancing precision medicine.”
Currently, physicians rely on biopsies and MRIs to assess tumors in cancer patients, but these techniques can be invasive, time-consuming, and limited in the information they provide about specific proteins within cancer cells. Edwards — who uses state-of-the-art imaging equipment at Mizzou’s Molecular Imaging and Theranostics Center for his research — hopes to move this innovation from preclinical models to human clinical trials within seven years to provide a better method.
“This new targeted approach is noninvasive, and you can get results from the imaging in hours rather than days, which can be huge for patients traveling long distances to seek treatment,” Edwards said. “By making the process easier and faster for both patients and clinicians, we’re showing that precision medicine is a win-win.”
Reference: “Preclinical Evaluation of an Anti-EphA2 Minibody-Based ImmunoPET Agent as a Diagnostic Tool For Cancer” by Peggy A. Birikorang, H. E. G. Wedaarachchi, Jordan A. Smith, Gary Kohanbash and W. Barry Edwards, 19 September 2025, Molecular Imaging and Biology.
DOI: 10.1007/s11307-025-02048-7
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