You probably got the Silicon Valley (USA) reference, but if not, here is your go-to book (full disclosure — I would love it if you bought it from your local bookseller):Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley StartupBad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup – Kindle edition by Carreyrou, John. Download it once and read…www.amazon.com

The Silicon Valley startup Theranos acquired near-mythical status in part because of the charisma of its young leader, Elizabeth Holmes. Unfortunately, the promise — that vital health information could be obtained from a small drop of blood using handheld devices — appears to have been a lie.

Not a reader? I’ve got you covered. You should soon have a new feature film from “The Big Short” writer and director Adam McKay. The future movie stars Jennifer Lawrence as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.

Now comes a proof-of-concept for the ability of a single blood drop to detect lung cancer in individuals who exhibit no symptoms of the disease.

Metabolomics — An emerging science

Let’s look at the study, recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The Harvard-affiliated researchers built a lung-cancer predictive model based on metabolomics profiles in blood. What does that mean?

Metabolomics analyzes cell metabolite flows to discern healthy and pathological states by focusing on the metabolome — the dynamic biochemical system found in all of our cells, fluids, and tissues. This exciting emerging field is new to me, too.

The way I see it, with metabolomics, scientists are comprehensively measuring all metabolites and smaller molecules in a biological specimen. A kind of systemic engineering at the most granular level.

Now things are about to get more interesting. When lung cancer is present, the altered physiology of the cells can lead to changes in blood metabolites made (or consumed) by cancer cells in the lungs.

Metabolomics — Finding lung cancer

The Harvard researchers examined metabolomic profiles in blood using high-resolution magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This tool can examine a massive array of compounds inside living cells by measuring the collective reactions of the metabolites.

Researchers screened tens of thousands of blood samples saved at hospital biobanks. They found 25 patients with non-small cell lung cancer with stored blood specimens obtained at diagnosis and at least six months before diagnosis.

Here’s how the scientists did their work:

1. Trained their statistical model to recognize lung cancer by measuring metabolomic profile values in blood samples from 25 patients during their lung cancer diagnosis.
2. Compare #1 to blood samples from 25 healthy controls.
3. Validate the model using blood from the same patients but obtained before a lung cancer diagnosis.

It worked. For the third, the predictive model gave results between the healthy controls and the patients at diagnosis.

For additional validation, the researcher applied the model to a different group of 54 patients with lung cancer, using blood obtained before their diagnosis. The model’s predictions again appeared accurate.

Metabolomics — Into the future

As a doctor involved in cancer care, I find this preliminary research extraordinarily exciting. In addition to creating the potential to detect cancer early, the researchers also showed that values from the predictive model measured from prior-to-diagnosis blood samples could also predict five-year survival for patients.

Previously, the investigators had shown the potential for magnetic resonance spectroscopy-based metabolomics to differentiate cancer types and stages of diseases. They have also shown some ability to distinguish between indolent prostate cancer (which can be monitored) and cancer requiring treatment.

The same group will apply metabolomics to look for Alzheimer’s dementia clues in spinal fluid and blood samples.

AT RISK OF SOUNDING LIKE someone in Silicon Valley creating secrets and lies about the promise of a drop of blood, I share this: Harvard researchers may have a new diagnostic blood test that opens the door to the early detection of lung cancer.

You probably got the Silicon Valley (USA) reference, but if not, here is your go-to book (full disclosure — I would love it if you bought it from your local bookseller):Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley StartupBad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup – Kindle edition by Carreyrou, John. Download it once and read…www.amazon.com

The Silicon Valley startup Theranos acquired near-mythical status in part because of the charisma of its young leader, Elizabeth Holmes. Unfortunately, the promise — that vital health information could be obtained from a small drop of blood using handheld devices — appears to have been a lie.

Not a reader? I’ve got you covered. You should soon have a new feature film from “The Big Short” writer and director Adam McKay. The future movie stars Jennifer Lawrence as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.

Now comes a proof-of-concept for the ability of a single blood drop to detect lung cancer in individuals who exhibit no symptoms of the disease.

Metabolomics — An emerging science

Let’s look at the study, recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The Harvard-affiliated researchers built a lung-cancer predictive model based on metabolomics profiles in blood. What does that mean?

Metabolomics analyzes cell metabolite flows to discern healthy and pathological states by focusing on the metabolome — the dynamic biochemical system found in all of our cells, fluids, and tissues. This exciting emerging field is new to me, too.

The way I see it, with metabolomics, scientists are comprehensively measuring all metabolites and smaller molecules in a biological specimen. A kind of systemic engineering at the most granular level.

Now things are about to get more interesting. When lung cancer is present, the altered physiology of the cells can lead to changes in blood metabolites made (or consumed) by cancer cells in the lungs.

Metabolomics — Finding lung cancer

The Harvard researchers examined metabolomic profiles in blood using high-resolution magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This tool can examine a massive array of compounds inside living cells by measuring the collective reactions of the metabolites.

Researchers screened tens of thousands of blood samples saved at hospital biobanks. They found 25 patients with non-small cell lung cancer with stored blood specimens obtained at diagnosis and at least six months before diagnosis.

Here’s how the scientists did their work:

1. Trained their statistical model to recognize lung cancer by measuring metabolomic profile values in blood samples from 25 patients during their lung cancer diagnosis.
2. Compare #1 to blood samples from 25 healthy controls.
3. Validate the model using blood from the same patients but obtained before a lung cancer diagnosis.

It worked. For the third, the predictive model gave results between the healthy controls and the patients at diagnosis.

For additional validation, the researcher applied the model to a different group of 54 patients with lung cancer, using blood obtained before their diagnosis. The model’s predictions again appeared accurate.

Metabolomics — Into the future

As a doctor involved in cancer care, I find this preliminary research extraordinarily exciting. In addition to creating the potential to detect cancer early, the researchers also showed that values from the predictive model measured from prior-to-diagnosis blood samples could also predict five-year survival for patients.

Previously, the investigators had shown the potential for magnetic resonance spectroscopy-based metabolomics to differentiate cancer types and stages of diseases. They have also shown some ability to distinguish between indolent prostate cancer (which can be monitored) and cancer requiring treatment.

The same group will apply metabolomics to look for Alzheimer’s dementia clues in spinal fluid and blood samples.