Proteotype's co-founders Wesley Sukdao, Dr Emma Yates and Professor Gonçalo Bernardes. News story curated by Dr Fiorella Dell'Olio. Photo credit: pr@proteotype.com
In a recent publication, a research team from Cambridge and Proteotype Diagnostics unveiled a blood test that detects cancer early and predicts treatment response by decoding immune system signals rather than relying on tumour DNA.
Published in a seminal paper titled "Immunodiagnostic plasma amino acid residue biomarkers detect cancer early and predict treatment response" in Nature Communications on 14 July, the study describes the Amino Acid Concentration Signature (AACS) platform – a minimally invasive test that profiles specific amino acid residues in plasma as indicators of cancer-related immune activity. These changes can be detected before tumours release enough DNA to be identified by current liquid biopsy technologies.
The work led by Professor Gonçalo J. L. Bernardes, Professor of Chemical Biology in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge and co-founder of Proteotype and Dr Emma V. Yates, the company’s chief scientific officer, offers a new angle on early detection by tapping into the body’s natural tumour surveillance system.
Unlike conventional tests that track thousands of proteins or gene mutations, the AACS platform measures just a handful of chemically labelled amino acid residues – including cysteine, lysine, tryptophan and tyrosine – which fluctuate in a disease-specific manner when the immune system reacts to developing cancer. The test uses fluorescent chemical probes to quantify these signals directly in blood plasma, allowing high-throughput analysis without complex sample processing.
In a clinical cohort of 170 participants, including multiple cancer types and controls, the platform correctly identified 78% of early-stage cancers with 0% false positives. It also achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.95, indicating excellent diagnostic accuracy. Furthermore, in a subgroup of advanced breast cancer patients receiving CDK4/6 inhibitors, the test predicted treatment response with 98% accuracy – significantly earlier than traditional clinical markers.
“This platform leverages the immune system's inherent sensitivity to nascent tumours,” said Dr Emma V. Yates. “By focusing on amino acid residues across the plasma proteome, we amplify signals that are otherwise too subtle for conventional assays, enabling us to detect cancer earlier and guide treatment choices more effectively.” Professor Bernardes added, “We believe this quantitative approach has the potential to transform cancer screening programmes worldwide.”
Beyond its diagnostic potential, the technology opens up a new area of immunodiagnostics – a field focused on understanding disease through the host’s immune and metabolic response rather than solely tumour-derived material. The researchers are now extending validation studies across broader populations and working to automate the assay for integration into clinical laboratories.
About Proteotype Diagnostics Ltd
Proteotype Diagnostics Ltd is a biotechnology spin-out from the University of Cambridge, specialising in immune-based diagnostics for cancer detection and personalised medicine. By combining advanced chemical biology, data science and clinical insight, the company is developing robust, scalable tools to improve how cancer is detected and managed in real-world healthcare settings. Wesley Sukdao, co-founder and CEO of Proteotype Diagnostics stated: "Growing up in poverty in South Africa, I lost three of my closest family members to cancers detected too late, all before I turned fourteen. To meaningfully impact health inequalities, cutting-edge cancer diagnostics must be both affordable and accessible. My team and I are focused to deliver on this mission."