Mayo researchers find biomarkers for personalizing radiation cancer treatment
2010-10-05
(Press-News.org) ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered biomarkers that could lead to personalized radiation treatments for cancer patients. The findings appear today online in the journal Genome Research.
"Overcoming resistance to radiation therapy would make treatment more effective for some individuals," says Liewei Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic genomic researcher and senior author of the study. "Our findings may make it possible to one day develop novel therapies aimed at selected subgroups of cancer patients."
Roughly half of all cancer patients undergo radiation therapy, but the response -- the impact on the patient and the cancer -- can vary greatly. It's thought that genetic variants -- differences in personal genomes -- may be the reason in most cases. Dr. Wang and her team investigated 277 different human lymphoblastoid cell lines in an attempt to learn more about why some patients respond differently.
As part of their genome-wide association study, they integrated data on gene expression, cell toxicity outcomes, and 1.3 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), the brief sections of genetic code representing variants. They then narrowed the field and validated likely biomarkers in three cell lines to confirm radiation response. In the end, they identified five genes in which gene expression related directly to radiation response.
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Others on the study include Nifang Niu, M.D., Ph.D.; Yuxin Qin, Ph.D.; Brooke Fridley, Ph.D.; Junmei Hou, Ph.D.; Krishna Kalari, Ph.D.; Minjia Zhu, Ph.D.; Tse-Yu Wu; Gregory Jenkins; and Anthony Batzler, all of Mayo Clinic. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, an ASPET-Astellas award and an award from the PhRMA Foundation.
About Mayo Clinic
For more than 100 years, millions of people from all walks of life have found answers at Mayo Clinic. These patients tell us they leave Mayo Clinic with peace of mind knowing they received care from the world's leading experts. Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. At Mayo Clinic, a team of specialists is assembled to take the time to listen, understand and care for patients' health issues and concerns. These teams draw from more than 3,700 physicians and scientists and 50,100 allied staff that work at Mayo Clinic's campuses in Minnesota, Florida, and Arizona; and community-based providers in more than 70 locations in southern Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northeast Iowa. These locations treat more than half a million people each year. To best serve patients, Mayo Clinic works with many insurance companies, does not require a physician referral in most cases and is an in-network provider for millions of people. To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. For information about research and education, visit www.mayo.edu. MayoClinic.com (www.mayoclinic.com) is available as a resource for your general health information.
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[Press-News.org] Mayo researchers find biomarkers for personalizing radiation cancer treatment
