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Project Leaders
Nabil Belacel
Phone: 506-861-0963
Fax: 506-851-3630
Email: Nabil.Belacel@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Miroslava Cuperlovic-Culf
Phone: 506-861-0952
Fax: 506-851-3630
Email: Miroslava.Cuperlovic-Culf@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
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Georges Corriveau
Phone: 506-861-0954
Fax: 506-851-3630
Email: Georges.Corriveau@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
New strategy for biomarker discovery and application
This project is an extension of the “Intelligent System for the Classification of Multiple Tumour Types Using Gene Expression Data from DNA Microarray” project that started in August 2003. In phase one of this project, NRC-IIT, in collaboration with Atlantic Cancer Research Institute (ACRI), discovered and validated in silico a 'marker panel' of eight genes that is extremely effective in identifying prostate cancer tumors in tissue samples with high accuracy. Subsequently the team has utilized the same strategy for the analysis and in silico validation of colon cancer gene expression data. Thereby identified biomarker panel provides highly accurate diagnosis of colon cancers, NRC-IIT holds jointly with ACRI a provisional patents for biomarker panels for prostate and colon cancers.
In the current phase of this project, NRC-IIT researchers are focusing on helping partners in experimental validation of the prostate and colon gene markers on tissue samples and pre-clinical trials in local hospital. The ultimate goal is to secure a private-sector partner for commercialization of these diagnostic panels. The team will continue to use and adapt algorithms and methods for unsupervised and supervised analysis of "omics" data in order to identify and validate biomarker panels for other applications in diagnostic, staging and prognostic of cancers and possibly other diseases.
Biomarker panels discovered from various high-throughput measurements are expected to become powerful tools for disease diagnosis, prognosis and staging. Discovery of novel, more accurate biomarker panels through the development and utilization of our new data analysis method will have substantial impact on health services and programs:
- Earlier and more accurate diagnosis of cancer may ultimately contribute to a decrease in number of lives lost to cancers as well as reduced health care cost.
- More precise, faster as well as less subjective diagnosis provided by biomarker panels will reduce patient wait time, uncertainty as well as cost.
The ultimate goal of all biomarker research is an earlier, more accurate diagnosis, better prognosis and possibility for treatment planning. Individual biomarker panels are expected to increase the sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis and improve patient stratification.
The research partners for this project:
- Atlantic Cancer Research Institute, Moncton, New Brunswick
- NRC Institute for Marine Biosciences (NRC-IMB), Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Capital District Health Authority, Halifax, Nova Scotia
This project initially started in August 2003 and is expected to be completed in July 2016.
