UCLA scientists announced on Apr. 6 the development of a new blood test, called MethylScan, which in early studies has shown promise for detecting multiple cancers, liver conditions, and organ abnormalities by analyzing DNA fragments found in the bloodstream.
The advancement could lead to earlier detection of serious diseases and make health monitoring more affordable for patients. The method works by analyzing cell-free DNA—genetic material released into the blood when cells die—which carries molecular signals from all organs in the body.
“Early detection is crucial,” said Dr. Jasmine Zhou, senior author of the study and professor at UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “Survival rates are far higher when cancers are caught before they spread. If you detect cancer at stage one, outcomes are dramatically better than at stage four.”
MethylScan differs from existing liquid biopsy tests by focusing on DNA methylation patterns rather than mutations. These chemical tags can reveal changes linked to disease or tissue type. Dr. Wenyuan Li, co-corresponding author and professor at UCLA, said: “DNA methylation reflects the health status of a tissue… It’s a very informative signal.” To improve accuracy and reduce costs, researchers developed a technique that removes most background DNA from normal blood cells before sequencing.
In testing with over 1,000 participants—including patients with various cancers or liver diseases—the test detected about 63% of cancers across all stages and around 55% of early-stage cases at high specificity levels. For high-risk individuals monitored for liver cancer, it identified nearly 80% of cases while keeping false positives low. The method also helped determine where abnormal signals originated within the body—a key step for guiding further diagnostic procedures.
Researchers say this approach could act as a “health radar” capable of flagging stress or damage in specific organs without prior knowledge of disease type. They also found it could distinguish between different forms of liver disease with about 85% accuracy.
Although larger trials are needed to confirm its effectiveness outside research settings, Zhou said: “This study demonstrates that blood-based methylation profiling can deliver clinically meaningful information across multiple diseases… It’s an exciting advancement that brings us closer to realizing the dream of a single assay for universal disease detection.”
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