A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed a technology that promises to make biopsies more informative and less invasive for cancer patients.

Called Sequence-Topology Assembly for Multiplexed Profiling (Stamp), it works by generating 3D DNA "barcodes". Just as a barcode, when scanned, provides information about a product and its price, a chain of DNA can tell scientists about the nature of cells.

The DNA used in Stamp is specially engineered such that it can be folded and unfolded. Assistant Professor Shao Huilin from the NUS Institute for Health Innovation and Technology, who led the project on developing the technology, likens it to origami where a flexible piece of paper can be folded into a rigid 3D shape.

Here is how Stamp works. A long chain of DNA is first folded into a pyramid-like structure to give it stability. It is then exposed to a small sample of cells extracted from a patient. The DNA attaches to the proteins in the cells and, following this, the DNA barcode changes.

When the DNA is later unfolded to be read and analysed, the barcode changes can tell scientists what proteins were present and where they were located within the cell. This information determines if cancer is present, its subtype and its aggressiveness.

As Stamp requires only a small sample and can measure billions of proteins in a single test, both patients and their doctors will be able to receive comprehensive reports about the medical condition earlier to facilitate timely treatment.

Conventionally, early diagnostic biopsies require a fine needle to be inserted into a suspicious growth to extract samples. These are then sent for tests to determine if the growth is cancerous.

This means that patients may not know the subtype of their cancer or how aggressive it is until large portions of the growth - or the entire growth - are surgically removed for further analysis. This process may take weeks for conclusive results.

Prof Shao explained that this uncertainty can often lead to great patient anxiety and less-informed health decisions. Some female patients, for example, may choose to remove the entire breast only because of the possibility that the cancer may be at an advanced stage.

The team hopes its technology will allow for tailored therapies to begin earlier. Doctoral student Noah Sundah, a member of the team, cited drug therapies that target particular proteins or the use of chemotherapy to shrink specific tumours.