C04028: Functional Identification of Methylated Cancer Genes
Value Proposition:
• Molecular biomarkers frequently inactivated in primary tumors which displayed clear tumor suppressive activity
• Rapid and robust method
Technical Details:
BACKGROUND
Cancer of the esophagus is the eighth most common malignancy and ranks as the sixth most frequent cause of death worldwide. There are different types of esophageal, but throughout the world, squamous cell carcinoma is the predominant type. Studies suggest that alcohol, tobacco, diets deficient in vitamins/protective antioxidants, carcinogens (i.e., frequent consumption of pickled vegetables), and thermal injuries are important in the pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Recent advances in molecular biology have revealed common genetic and/or epigenetic alterations of the p53 and p16/Rb tumor suppressor pathways in human ESCC. Further identification of molecular targets would enable the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of ESCC to be approached at the molecular level. However, as in other cancers, a genome-wide comprehensive survey of commonly inactivated tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) in ESCC has remained elusive.
TECHNOLOGY: Johns Hopkins University researchers have identified novel genes that are transcriptionally repressed in esophageal Squamous cell carcinoma that represent novel molecular biomarkers for the detection and diagnosis of ESCC. Specifically, JHU researchers undertook pharmacological unmasking of ESCC carcinoma cells with 5Aza-dC and Trichostatin A (TSA) followed by cRNA microarray analysis to comprehensively identify epigenetically inactivated genes in cancer. This approach identified a large number of genes with dense promoter hypermethylation. Moreover, a more closely examined subset of these genes was frequently inactivated in primary tumors and displayed clear tumor suppressive activity. This approach is rapid, robust, and can be easily repeated in other cancer cell lines to comprehensively search for epigenetically silenced suppressor genes.
Looking for Partners:
Commercial applications include novel molecular biomarkers for the detection and diagnosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
