Epigenetic Biomarkers Increase Sensitivity of Prostate Cancer Liquid Biopsy Diagnostic Tests
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 31 Jan 2022 |
|
Image: Micrograph of prostate adenocarcinoma, acinar type, the most common type of prostate cancer (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
A team of Austrian researchers identified additional epigenetic biomarkers that will upgrade the diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer by increasing the sensitivity of liquid biopsy analysis of circulating tumor DNA.
Liquid biopsy analysis of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from peripheral blood has emerged as a valuable diagnostic tool in oncology, since sample collection is quick and minimally invasive. In cancer patients, cfDNA consists in part of cancer-derived circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and it has been shown that tumor-related genetic and epigenetic alterations can be detected by analyzing cfDNA in cancer patients. Epigenetic tumor-specific changes including DNA methylation are measurable in ctDNA, and their potential as diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive epigenetic biomarkers has been demonstrated in a large number of studies.
For the current study, investigators at the Medical University of Vienna (Austria) evaluated the suitability of DNA methylation-based biomarkers for non-invasive prostate cancer (PCa) diagnostics.
Based on experiments and in silico analyses they identified two DNA methylation signatures of three genes each, which could be used as minimal-invasive markers in liquid biopsies for the detection of methylated ctDNA. These signatures allowed for the classification of mCRPC (metastatic castration resistant PCa) with high specificity and sensitivity and were able to distinguish responders from non-responders following different treatment procedures.
In addition, DNA methylation of three genes, aldose reductase (AKR1B1), Krueppel-like factor 8 (KLF8), and lipid droplet associated hydrolase (LDAH) was used to monitor the therapeutic response of patients to chemotherapy and anti-androgen therapy. Increased DNA methylation of marker genes was also associated with a poorer prognosis and shorter patient survival.
The investigators said that as a next step, it will be important to test the performance of their methylation markers in prospective clinical trials including mCRPC patients undergoing different treatment regimes.
The study was published in the January 4, 2022, online edition of the journal Molecular Cancer.
Related Links:
Medical University of Vienna
Liquid biopsy analysis of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from peripheral blood has emerged as a valuable diagnostic tool in oncology, since sample collection is quick and minimally invasive. In cancer patients, cfDNA consists in part of cancer-derived circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and it has been shown that tumor-related genetic and epigenetic alterations can be detected by analyzing cfDNA in cancer patients. Epigenetic tumor-specific changes including DNA methylation are measurable in ctDNA, and their potential as diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive epigenetic biomarkers has been demonstrated in a large number of studies.
For the current study, investigators at the Medical University of Vienna (Austria) evaluated the suitability of DNA methylation-based biomarkers for non-invasive prostate cancer (PCa) diagnostics.
Based on experiments and in silico analyses they identified two DNA methylation signatures of three genes each, which could be used as minimal-invasive markers in liquid biopsies for the detection of methylated ctDNA. These signatures allowed for the classification of mCRPC (metastatic castration resistant PCa) with high specificity and sensitivity and were able to distinguish responders from non-responders following different treatment procedures.
In addition, DNA methylation of three genes, aldose reductase (AKR1B1), Krueppel-like factor 8 (KLF8), and lipid droplet associated hydrolase (LDAH) was used to monitor the therapeutic response of patients to chemotherapy and anti-androgen therapy. Increased DNA methylation of marker genes was also associated with a poorer prognosis and shorter patient survival.
The investigators said that as a next step, it will be important to test the performance of their methylation markers in prospective clinical trials including mCRPC patients undergoing different treatment regimes.
The study was published in the January 4, 2022, online edition of the journal Molecular Cancer.
Related Links:
Medical University of Vienna
Gold Member
Veterinary Hematology Analyzer
Exigo H400
New
Biological Indicator Vials
BI-O.K.
New
Lyme Disease Test
Lyme IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette
Latest Molecular Diagnostics News
- RNA-Based Blood Test Detects Preeclampsia Risk Months Before Symptoms
- First Of Its Kind Test Uses microRNAs to Predict Toxicity from Cancer Therapy
- Novel Cell-Based Assay Provides Sensitive and Specific Autoantibody Detection in Demyelination
- Novel Point-of-Care Technology Delivers Accurate HIV Results in Minutes
- Blood Test Rules Out Future Dementia Risk
- D-Dimer Testing Can Identify Patients at Higher Risk of Pulmonary Embolism
- New Biomarkers to Improve Early Detection and Monitoring of Kidney Injury
- Chemiluminescence Immunoassays Support Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Blood Test Identifies Multiple Biomarkers for Rapid Diagnosis of Spinal Cord Injury
- Highly Accurate Blood Test Diagnoses Alzheimer’s and Measures Dementia Progression
- Simple DNA PCR-Based Lab Test to Enable Personalized Treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis
- Rapid Diagnostic Test to Halt Mother-To-Child Hepatitis B Transmission
- Simple Urine Test Could Help Patients Avoid Invasive Scans for Kidney Cancer
- New Bowel Cancer Blood Test to Improve Early Detection
- Refined Test Improves Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis
- New Method Rapidly Diagnoses CVD Risk Via Molecular Blood Screening
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
Carbon Nanotubes Help Build Highly Accurate Sensors for Continuous Health Monitoring
Current sensors can measure various health indicators, such as blood glucose levels, in the body. However, there is a need to develop more accurate and sensitive sensor materials that can detect lower... Read more
Paper-Based Device Boosts HIV Test Accuracy from Dried Blood Samples
In regions where access to clinics for routine blood tests presents financial and logistical obstacles, HIV patients are increasingly able to collect and send a drop of blood using paper-based devices... Read more
Hematology
view channel
New Scoring System Predicts Risk of Developing Cancer from Common Blood Disorder
Clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS) is a blood disorder commonly found in older adults, characterized by mutations in blood cells and a low blood count, but without any obvious cause or... Read more
Non-Invasive Prenatal Test for Fetal RhD Status Demonstrates 100% Accuracy
In the United States, approximately 15% of pregnant individuals are RhD-negative. However, in about 40% of these cases, the fetus is also RhD-negative, making the administration of RhoGAM unnecessary.... Read more
Immunology
view channel
Stem Cell Test Predicts Treatment Outcome for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer
Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently responds to chemotherapy initially, but eventually, the tumor develops resistance to the therapy, leading to regrowth. This resistance is partially due to the activation... Read more
Machine Learning-Enabled Blood Test Predicts Immunotherapy Response in Lymphoma Patients
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has emerged as one of the most promising recent developments in the treatment of blood cancers. However, over half of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients... Read more
Microbiology
view channel
Handheld Device Deliver Low-Cost TB Results in Less Than One Hour
Tuberculosis (TB) remains the deadliest infectious disease globally, affecting an estimated 10 million people annually. In 2021, about 4.2 million TB cases went undiagnosed or unreported, mainly due to... Read more
New AI-Based Method Improves Diagnosis of Drug-Resistant Infections
Drug-resistant infections, particularly those caused by deadly bacteria like tuberculosis and staphylococcus, are rapidly emerging as a global health emergency. These infections are more difficult to treat,... Read more
Breakthrough Diagnostic Technology Identifies Bacterial Infections with Almost 100% Accuracy within Three Hours
Rapid and precise identification of pathogenic microbes in patient samples is essential for the effective treatment of acute infectious diseases, such as sepsis. The fluorescence in situ hybridization... Read more
Pathology
view channel
Advanced Imaging Reveals Mechanisms Causing Autoimmune Disease
Myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease, leads to muscle weakness that can affect a range of muscles, including those needed for basic actions like blinking, smiling, or moving. Researchers have long... Read more
AI Model Effectively Predicts Patient Outcomes in Common Lung Cancer Type
Lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), typically adopts one of six distinct growth patterns, often combining multiple patterns within a single tumor.... Read more
Technology
view channel
Pain-On-A-Chip Microfluidic Device Determines Types of Chronic Pain from Blood Samples
Chronic pain is a widespread condition that remains difficult to manage, and existing clinical methods for its treatment rely largely on self-reporting, which can be subjective and especially problematic... Read more
Innovative, Label-Free Ratiometric Fluorosensor Enables More Sensitive Viral RNA Detection
Viruses present a major global health risk, as demonstrated by recent pandemics, making early detection and identification essential for preventing new outbreaks. While traditional detection methods are... Read more
Industry
view channel
Cepheid and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Partner on Advancing Automated Sequencing-Based Solutions
Cepheid (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a leading molecular diagnostics company, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK), the company behind a new generation of sequencing-based molecular analysis technologies,... Read more
Grifols and Tecan’s IBL Collaborate on Advanced Biomarker Panels
Grifols (Barcelona, Spain), one of the world’s leading producers of plasma-derived medicines and innovative diagnostic solutions, is expanding its offer in clinical diagnostics through a strategic partnership... Read more
