The recently published research is the result of almost a decade of intensive basic research. The research team combined modern glycobiochemical analysis with the clinical challenge of diagnosing bladder cancer at an early stage and as non-invasively as possible. The study was conducted in collaboration with several urology clinics in Germany and supported by various funding programmes, including the German Research Foundation.

“Our research shows that nLc4 is a tumour-specific molecule that is not found in healthy bladder tissue. It is actively released by tumour cells – especially in muscle-invasive forms of bladder cancer – and can be detected in urine,” explains Büttner. “This opens up completely new possibilities for detecting bladder cancer through simple urine tests in future without invasive procedures such as cystoscopy.”

Method of analysis uses laser light to make sugar structures visible

To detect the new biomarker nLc4 in urine, the research team used a highly precise method of analysis that uses laser light to make sugar structures visible. Researchers also developed a special laboratory test (ELISA) that could be used in everyday clinical practice in future. In a larger study with over 120 patients, it was shown that nLc4 not only helps to detect bladder cancer but also provides information about how aggressive a tumour is.

“What makes this research special is the tight integration of basic biochemical research with a highly relevant medical question,” says Büttner. “It’s a nice example of how analytical precision and clinical necessity can go hand in hand,” he adds.? ?

Alongside its diagnostic significance, nLc4 could also serve as a target structure for new therapeutic approaches. Through its specific expression on tumour cells and its localisation on the cell surface it offers potential targets for innovative immune or antibody therapies. The marker has now been patented by the researchers.

To the study

Inês B. Moreira, Charlotte Rossdam, Jonas Kaynert, Julia Beimdiek, Manuel M. Vicente, Jessica Schmitz, Anika Gro?hennig, Astrid Oberbeck, Michèle J. Hoffmann, Michele E. Rosero Moreno, Daniel Steinbach, Maria L. Barcena, Yannick Lippka, Jan H. Br?sen, Hossein Tezval, Falk F.R. Buettner. Neolactotetraosylceramide enables urinary detection of bladder cancer, Cell Reports 威尼斯赌博游戏_威尼斯赌博app-【官网】icine, 2025.?

The full study is freely accessible via:? https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2025.102246

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