Research
Our focus is to identify risk of cancer and to detect early lesions that can progress to cancer. We do so with research in microRNAs (miRNAs) and exosomes.
MiRNAs belong to a group of noncoding RNAs that are deregulated in cancer. Differences in miRNA abundance in tissues have been shown to correlate with cancer grade, stage,
likeliness to progress, and can be prognostic of response to therapy. More recently, concentrations of specific miRNAs with diagnostic value in tissues have also been found
in blood plasma and serum, where their abundance is indicative of cancer. Therefore, miRNAs released into the blood have emerged as surrogate biomarkers of cancer, including breast cancer.
Our laboratory studies 2 aspects in this emerging field.
#1 the use of released miRNAs to identify women at high risk of breast cancer
#2 the regulation of miRNA release from cells into body fluids.
We have recently published our first paper on this focus (http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0013515). In essence, we have found that some miRNAs are not passively
released into the blood or other body fluids, but that cells have a mechanism that selectively releases or retains at least 33% of the cellular miRNAs. Importantly,
some of the miRNAs released selectively released from breast cancer cells can also be found in the blood of mice xenografted with human breast cancer cells. Furthermore,
some of these miRNAs are also at higher concentrations in ductal lavages of women at higher risk of breast cancer. Together, these observations suggest that some selectively
released miRNAs may be diagnostic of breast cancer risk or early lesions of breast cancer.
We are currently using these observations and systems to identify the machines that release miRNAs, and how they are deregulated during cancer initiation and progression.
We are collaborating with clinicians to identify the usefulness of miRNAs in ductal lavages, and fine needle aspirate fluids to identify miRNA signatures that correlate with risk.
These efforts have been funded by the DOD, and are currently funded by ACS Illinois. We thank all the women who have donated, and our collaborators who have made available precious clinical samples, including:
Milk and Blood
Mother's Milk Bank of Iowa (The University of Iowa Children's Hospital)
Indiana Mother's Milk Bank, Inc.
IU Susan G Komen Foundation for the Cure Tissue Bank
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Collaborators:
Dr. Danforth at the NIH
Link
Dr. Euhus at U.T. Southwestern
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