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Biomarkers Identification for Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies with late clinical presentation, early metastasis, and poor prognosis. The search for inexpensive, noninvasive, or minimally invasive biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity to improve the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer has been ongoing. Alfa Cytology is a leading provider of pancreatic cancer research services. We have many years of experience in pancreatic cancer molecular research and can provide a variety of quality services to our clients. Based on our advanced preclinical biomarker platform, we can help our global customers advance their progress in pancreatic cancer biomarker discovery and analysis.
Biomarkers for Pancreatic Cancer
Biomarkers for pancreatic cancer can be found in various biological samples, including blood, urine, and tissue biopsies. These biomarkers may include proteins, nucleic acids (such as DNA, RNA, and microRNAs), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and extracellular vesicles like exosomes. The identification of these biomarkers has revolutionized the diagnostic landscape, offering non-invasive or minimally invasive methods to detect cancer earlier, predict disease progression, and tailor treatments to individual patients.
Fig. 1 Cancer hallmarks-based biomarkers. (Zhou, Y., et al., 2024)
Considerable research has been done on biomarker detection in blood, breath, and pancreatic fluid. The investigation of potential biomarkers to aid in the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of pancreatic cancer has been an area of intensive research. There are several biomarkers that have early diagnostic, predictive, and prognostic potential for pancreatic cancer.
- Diagnostic Biomarkers - Serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9; microRNA (miRNAs); macrophage inhibitory cytokine 1 (MIC-1); PAM 4 (a murine monoclonal antibody); glypican 1 (Gpancreatic cancer1, a membrane anchoring protein); KRAS mutation; osteopontin (OPN, a protein of extracellular matrix); epigenetic markers
- Predictive Biomarkers - Human equilibrate nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1); FOLFIRINOX markers; stromal markers; BRCA mutated tumors; microsatellite instability; PD-1/PD-L1
- Prognostic Biomarkers - Serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9; SMAD4, a signal transformer from transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β); angiogenesis markers; inflammatory markers; immune markers; microRNA (miRNAs); SPARC
Our Services
At Alfa Cytology, we offer a comprehensive suite of services to support the identification and validation of biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. Our offerings include:
miRNAs as Diagnostic Biomarkers: We specialize in the identification of microRNAs (miRNAs) that play a significant role in pancreatic cancer. miRNAs are small, non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression and are valuable biomarkers for early detection and prognosis of pancreatic cancer. Our services include miRNA profiling, validation, and functional analysis to identify potential diagnostic and prognostic markers.
Circulating Exosomes as Diagnostic Biomarkers: Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles that carry proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, reflecting the molecular characteristics of their cells of origin. We provide exosome isolation, characterization, and analysis services to identify exosome-derived biomarkers in blood and other bodily fluids, offering a non-invasive diagnostic approach for pancreatic cancer.
CTCs as Diagnostic Biomarkers: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cancer cells that have been shed from the primary tumor into the bloodstream. Detecting and analyzing CTCs can provide critical insights into the biology of pancreatic cancer and serve as a biomarker for early detection and monitoring treatment efficacy. We offer CTC capture, enumeration, and molecular characterization services to support the development of CTC-based diagnostics.
ctDNAs as Diagnostic Biomarkers: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) refers to fragments of DNA shed by tumors into the bloodstream. ctDNA analysis allows for the detection of genetic mutations and alterations associated with pancreatic cancer, offering a minimally invasive method for diagnosis and disease monitoring. Our ctDNA services include sample collection, DNA extraction, sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis to identify and validate ctDNA as a biomarker for pancreatic cancer. In terms of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and exosomes.
Why Choose Us?
At Alfa Cytology, we provide standard operating procedures and systems for sample collection, storage, analysis, and interpretation of results to fully support our clients' biomarker discovery and analysis. You can contact us for more about our pancreatic cancer biomarker platform, or any other inquiries. Our customer service representatives are available 24 hours a day from Monday to Sunday.
References
- Hasan, Syed, et al. "Advances in pancreatic cancer biomarkers." Oncology reviews 13.1 (2019).
- Kunovsky, Lumir, et al. "The use of biomarkers in early diagnostics of pancreatic cancer." Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2018 (2018).
- Kim, Hongbeom, et al. "Biomarker panel for the diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma." Cancers 12.6 (2020): 1443.
- Zhou, Y., Tao, L., Qiu, J. et al. Tumor biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis and targeted therapy. Sig Transduct Target Ther 9, 132 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-024-01823-2