Programmable blood test to detect multiple cancer DNA mutations
Official title: Programmable Multiplexed Detection of Cell-free DNA Mutation for Liquid Biopsy
Funded at University of Connecticut Sch of Med/dnt · NIH-11312147 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new, quick blood test designed to find multiple tumor DNA mutations to help people at risk for lung cancer get earlier, noninvasive detection.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Connecticut Sch of Med/dnt NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Farmington, United States) |
| Project start | May 6, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $414,585 |
| NIH project number | 1R33CA309727-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11312147 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People at increased risk for lung cancer or those needing noninvasive monitoring of known lung cancer mutations, such as longtime smokers or patients with suspicious imaging or known tumors.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose tumors do not shed detectable cell-free DNA into the blood or whose cancers lack the targeted mutations may not benefit from this test.
What this research studies
This project is developing PEAM-Seq, a simple and affordable blood-based test that uses programmable enzyme-assisted sequencing to detect many cell-free DNA mutations at once. The team will streamline a PCR-based version they already built, make the workflow faster and cheaper, and improve the software that reads the mutation signals. They will compare the new test's results to current methods like ddPCR and next-generation sequencing using patient blood samples. Clinical samples and bioinformatics will be used to measure how well the test finds single-letter DNA changes and multiple mutations in the same sample.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could allow earlier, noninvasive detection and cheaper monitoring of lung cancer by finding tumor DNA in blood.
How similar studies have gone: Liquid biopsy approaches using ddPCR and next-generation sequencing have shown promise for detecting cfDNA mutations, while programmable enzyme-assisted multiplexed detection is a newer approach with limited clinical testing so far.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Connecticut Sch of Med/dnt
Farmington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Changchun — University of Connecticut Sch of Med/dnt
- Study coordinator: Liu, Changchun
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.