cancer

miR-375 a potential prognostic marker of head and neck cancers

by Christoph on January 25, 2012

Low-Level Expression of miR-375 Correlates with Poor Outcome and Metastasis While Altering the Invasive Properties of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas.

Researchers at Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine used global miRNA expression profiling of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) samples and adjacent normal tissue to rank those miRNAs that were most significantly altered in a patient population of 123. Harris et al. evaluated 736 of the currently known 1898 unique mature human microRNAs. Rank Consistency Score analysis revealed miR-375 to have the most significantly lowered miRNA levels in tumors relative to matched adjacent nonmalignant tissue from the same patient.

While this result has been previously observed by other groups, this latest study reveals that low miR-375 expression levels correlate significantly with cancer survival and distant metastasis. In a study of 123 primary HNSCC patients using multivariable Cox proportional hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), both death from disease (HR: 12.8, 95% CI: 3 to 49) and incidence of distant metastasis (HR: 8.7, 95% CI: 2 to 31) correlated with lower expression levels of miR-375 regardless of the site or stage of the tumor. In addition, oral cavity tumor cell lines (eg, UMSCC1 and UMSCC47) overexpressing miR-375 were significantly less invasive in vitro than their matched empty vector controls.

The authors conclude that miR-375 may be suitable as a potential prognostic marker of poor outcome and metastasis in HNSCC and that it may function by suppressing the tumor’s invasive properties.

Harris T, Jimenez L, Kawachi N, Fan JB, Chen J, Belbin T, Ramnauth A, Loudig O, Keller CE, Smith R, Prystowsky MB, Schlecht NF, Segall JE, Childs G.
Low-Level Expression of miR-375 Correlates with Poor Outcome and Metastasis While Altering the Invasive Properties of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas.
Am J Pathol., in press.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002944011010947

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Rosetta Genomics Announces New York State Approval for miRview mets²

by Christoph on December 9, 2011

Proprietary microRNA Diagnostic for Identification of Cancer of Unknown Primary Now Available in All 50 U.S. States

PHILADELPHIA, PA and REHOVOT, ISRAEL–(Marketwire – Dec 9, 2011) – Rosetta Genomics, Ltd. (NASDAQ: ROSG), a leading developer and provider of microRNA-based molecular diagnostics, announced that the New York State Department of Health has approved miRview® mets² for testing on patient samples from the state. New York is the only U.S. state that requires an independent regulatory review process for laboratory developed tests. With this approval, Rosetta Genomics can offer miRview® mets² in all 50 U.S. states. miRview® mets² is the Company’s proprietary microRNA-based test that identifies the primary origin of many types of tumors of uncertain or unknown origin.

Approximately one third of all cancer patients are diagnosed with metastases, and a large proportion of those cases may have metastases whose primary origin is uncertain or unknown. Furthermore, in 3% to 5% of all cancer cases the primary origin is not found even after extensive clinical and pathological work up. In both scenarios, the use of miRview® mets² may assist physicians by confirming suspected origins, or providing possible new origins to explore which can affect treatment options.

“With approximately 200,000 cases of cancer of unknown primary (CUP) and difficult to diagnose metastatic cancer per year in the U.S., there is a pressing clinical need for more accurate identification of the tumor of origin,” said Kenneth A. Berlin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rosetta Genomics. “We are very pleased to have approval to market this important cancer diagnostic to the benefit of physicians and patients in New York.”

About the miRview® mets² Test
In order to effectively direct the diagnostic process, miRview® mets² offers physicians and patients a wide panel of 42 identifiable tumor origins, high accuracy and biologically motivated and easy-to-understand proprietary classifiers that provide significant advantage compared with other available technologies. Furthermore, miRview® mets² features improved classifiers that incorporate clinical, biological and molecular knowledge that provides only one or two most likely suspected origins, with the vast majority of cases providing just a single origin or answer. In addition, the assay offers identification of sarcomas, lymphomas and other non-epithelial malignancies, as well as more histologic subtypes.

A blinded validation set of 509 samples was studied and provided an accurate result in 85% of the samples; in 82% of cases a single tissue of origin prediction was given with an accuracy of 90%. A post-marketing validation study conducted at [click to continue…]

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Plasma Components Affect Accuracy of Circulating Cancer-Related MicroRNA Quantitation

by Christoph on December 7, 2011

New protocols improve detection of microRNAs for diagnosis

Philadelphia, PA, — MicroRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate processes including fertilization, development, and aging show promise as biomarkers of disease. They can be collected from routinely collected fluids such as blood, saliva, and urine. However, a number of factors can interfere with the accuracy of miRNA tests. In a study published online today in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, a group of researchers provide clear procedures for the collection and analysis of miRNA, significantly improving their diagnostic accuracy.

“Our study demonstrates that inherent differences in biological samples and the methods used to collect and analyze them can dramatically affect the detection and quantitation of microRNAs,” reports lead investigator Dominik M. Duelli, PhD, Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. “We developed measures to overcome the interfering activities and improved the sensitivity of miRNA detection up to 30-fold.”

Over 1,900 miRNAs exist in the human body. Deregulation of specific miRNAs is associated with disease. Measuring the amount of miRNAs in [click to continue…]

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Study Shows Potential for microRNAs to Predict Gastric Cancer Recurrence

by Christoph on November 4, 2011

AIM: To compare the microRNA (miR) profiles in the primary tumor of patients with recurrent and non-recurrent gastric cancer.

CONCLUSION: This study identified three miRs, miR-451, miR-199a-3p and miR-195 to be predictive of recurrence of gastric cancer. Of these, miR-451 had the strongest prognostic impact.

PHILADELPHIA and REHOVOT, Israel, Nov. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Rosetta Genomics, Ltd. (NASDAQ: ROSG), a leading developer and provider of microRNA-based molecular diagnostics, announces that results from a joint study by researchers at the Institutes of Oncology, Davidoff Center, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital and Golda-Hasharon Hospital in Petach-Tikva, Israel show that in post-resection gastric cancer patients microRNAs may serve to predict the risk of recurrence.

The study, entitled “microRNAs as a potential prognostic factor in gastric cancer,” was published online [click to continue…]

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MicroRNA Gene linked to Aggressive Skin Cancer

by Christoph on October 13, 2011

Epigenetic Regulation of MicroRNA Genes and the Role of miR-34b in Cell Invasion and Motility in Human Melanoma

CLAREMONT, Calif., Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — A certain microRNA gene, miR-34b, could be a useful biomarker in early diagnosis of the most lethal forms of melanoma, according to new research published by KGI (Keck Graduate Institute) Professor Animesh Ray and his research collaborators.

Ray, together with Dr. Ranjan Perera, an associate professor at the Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute in Orlando, Florida, spent nearly five years identifying microRNA molecules (a kind of non-coding RNA recently implicated as important gene regulatory agents) and their genes, which could signal whether tumors may develop into aggressive cancers.

Their paper, “Epigenetic Regulation of MicroRNA Genes and the Role of miR-34b in Cell Invasion and Motility in Human Melanoma,” was published recently in the scientific journal PLoS One.

“There are no good molecular markers that a physician can look at to determine whether a particular skin tumor is invasive or not,” notes Ray, who serves as KGI’s faculty chair as well as [click to continue…]

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Unexpected Link Between Cancer and Diabetes Revealed

September 29, 2011

New study connects the cancer gene Lin28 to glucose metabolism; may shed light on unifying principles in type 2 diabetes BOSTON, Sept. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A pathway activated in cancer plays an unexpected key role in metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes, according to a study by researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston. Evidence that [...]

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Diabetes and cancer: A shared biological basis

September 29, 2011

Contrary to what you might think, cancer and diabetes appear to have some biology in common. According to a report in the September 30th issue of the Cell Press journal, Cell, a pathway that initially drew attention for its role in embryonic stem cells and cancer also influences the odds that mice develop or resist [...]

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MicroRNA signature of cis-platin resistant vs. cis-platin sensitive ovarian cancer cell lines

September 23, 2011

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancer in women worldwide. According to the National Cancer Institute, ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate among all the reproductive cancers in women. Advanced stage diagnosis and chemo/radio-resistance is a major obstacle in treating advanced ovarian cancer. The most commonly employed chemotherapeutic drug for [...]

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Small molecules shed light on cancer therapies

August 22, 2011

Patients suffering from an aggressive brain cancer will benefit from the results of a University of Illinois study that could advance the development of targeted gene therapies and improve prognosis. “We have advanced the understanding of the role of microRNAs on glioblastoma multiforme, a deadly brain cancer, by studying the networks between the microRNAs and [...]

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Rosetta Genomics and UC Davis Researchers to Develop and Validate microRNA Biomarker to Predict Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Bladder Cancer

June 28, 2011

PHILADELPHIA and REHOVOT, Israel, June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ – Rosetta Genomics (NASDAQ: ROSG), a leading developer and provider of microRNA-based molecular diagnostic tests, announces it has entered into a collaboration with the University of California,  Davis (“UC Davis” or the “University”) to develop and validate a microRNA profile for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MI-BC) that is [...]

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