A Novel Biomarker for Colon Cancer
We have identified a novel non-coding RNA fragment (CCAT-1) and showed it to be highly expressed in over 95% of primary Adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum (CRC) samples tested but absent in normal tissues. These findings single out CCAT-1 as a novel molecular marker for colorectal cancer and therefore it might be used for detection and staging of this disease. We showed that CCAT-1 detection can increase the sensitivity of lymph node staging and can be detected in blood samples of 66% of CRC patients. These data support the rationale for the development of an assay for the detection and staging of CRC patients.
Additionally, we also showed that high quality RNA can be extracted from stool samples and that CCAT-1 can be detected in 33% of stool samples obtained from CRC patients and is absent in stool samples obtained from healthy volunteers. These findings support the rationale for the development of a RNA-stool assay for the early detection of CRC.
The proposed device is an external perfusion phantom. Having a good external reference will improve the accuracy of the CT exam. The idea is to have an external phantom with known and controlled parameters (profile of flow/perfusion rate diameters) that are in the same range of perfusion parameters as the tissues around the tumor. When CT is performed the measured parameters from the tumor would be compared to that of the phantom.
