Can a gene regulation ‘signature’ be used to improve detection of prostate cancer?
Dr Jyotsna Batra and her QUT research group based at TRI have discovered a panel of four gene-regulating molecules, microRNAs, which may provide a more specific means of detecting prostate cancer.
In an initial cohort of 40 patients with prostate cancer, expression of these miRNAs was measured in patient blood samples taken at diagnosis. These patents were followed up for the 10-15 years to determine their disease progression and outcome.
They found expression of these miRNAs differed according to patient prognosis, and could distinguish between slow-growing cancer versus aggressive metastatic prostate cancer.
These initial findings suggest this panel to have potential to guide management of prostate cancer at the point of diagnosis, based on expression levels of the miRNA panel.
To validate these findings in a larger population of patients, Dr Batra and her team are now conducting studies in a larger cohort of prostate cancer patients.
To read about the miRNA diagnostic panel, see: Matin, F et al (2018) A plasma biomarker panel of our microRNAs for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Nature Scientific Reports. 8:6653. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-24424-w
