Playing detective with limited tools
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a very aggressive cancer that is often not diagnosed until it has progressed to late stages. By that time, treatment options are very limited. Earlier detection could lead to better patient outcomes. However, the most commonly used biomarker for early detection is not very sensitive or specific, and new and improved alternatives are needed greatly.
Looking for cancer clues
Dr. Cristina Gómez-Martín and her team believe microRNAs could be a potential alternative biomarker. To find out, Cancer Center Amsterdam Foundation is funding a new project called, ‘Accurate isomiR detection for non-invasive PDAC diagnostics.’ MicroRNAs are very small strings of RNA that are important regulators of gene expression. They are abundant inside cells but are also released into biofluids such as blood and urine, encapsulated in vesicles called exosomes. This means they can be detected without invasive testing via liquid biopsies.
Disruption of miRNA has been associated with cancer. Some cancers show an increase of sequence variants or isoforms (iso-microRNAs or isomiRs) of standard miRNAs that have unique functions. In some cases, cancer associated isomiRs change gene regulation in ways that favor tumor proliferation. These isomiRs variants are the molecules Dr. Gómez-Martín aims to investigate.
Optimizing detection for earlier diagnosis
Previous research has shown that the presence or absence of specific IsomiRs are associated with different types of cancer. This means IsomiRs are potential highly sensitive predictive and prognostic tumor biomarkers. “Our aim is to optimize the detection of these molecules in biofluids. We want to find new biomarkers that can be used as potential (early) indicators of disease presence and/or prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer,” says Dr. Gómez-Martín.
Dr. Cristina Gómez-Martín, lead principal investigator
For more information contact Dr. Cristina Gómez-Martín.
People involved at Cancer Center Amsterdam – Amsterdam UMC:
Dr. Cristina Gómez-Martín
Dr. Michiel Pegtel
Dr. Elisa Giovannetti
Dr. Maarten Bijlsma
Text by Lynita Howie