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- Title
- DEVELOPING PLASMA-BASED DIAGNOSTICS: FROM PANCREATIC DUCTAL ADENOCARCINOMA TO HIV.
- Creator
- Makler, Amy, Asghar, Waseem, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Biological Sciences
- Abstract/Description
-
Plasma-based diagnostics are ideal for detecting a variety of diseases because they offer a method of detection that is minimally invasive, readily available, and easy to use for monitoring patients as they progress through a disease or respond to treatment. The only serum marker for PDAC is CA19-9 which lacks specificity, has limited sensitivity, and is unreliable for early detection. It is therefore of great importance to develop a diagnostic that is viable for screening and early detection...
Show morePlasma-based diagnostics are ideal for detecting a variety of diseases because they offer a method of detection that is minimally invasive, readily available, and easy to use for monitoring patients as they progress through a disease or respond to treatment. The only serum marker for PDAC is CA19-9 which lacks specificity, has limited sensitivity, and is unreliable for early detection. It is therefore of great importance to develop a diagnostic that is viable for screening and early detection. Exosomal miRNA were determined via bioinformatics analyses and then examined in PDAC cell lines to identify markers with greatest potential. These markers were then examined in plasma from PDAC patients and control groups. Four markers, miR-93-5p, miR-339-3p, miR-425-5p, and miR-425-3p, emerged as the most viable biomarker panel with the ability to detect PDAC in 100% of the early stages (N=5) compared to CA19-9 which showed increased levels in only one patient with early stage PDAC. Additionally, the diagnostic has a specificity of 80% and a sensitivity of 94.7%, making it comparable to CA19-9, and may even be beneficial for use in conjunction with CA19-9. A plasma-based diagnostic was also developed for multi-strain HIV-1 detection utilizing the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method. LAMP primers were developed against the integrase and vpr regions of the HIV-1 genome. They were tested first in cultured HIV samples and then examined for their ability to amplify HIV-1 subtypes A-G. The integrase primer set provided a reliable means of diagnosing all 55 strains and isolates in under 30 minutes, whereas vpr was inconsistent and exhibited high variability in detecting the HIV subtypes. Our limit of detection for B-subtype with integrase was 30 viral copies/reaction. This could provide the basis for a novel, point-of-care diagnostic for use in underdeveloped regions.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2023
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014141
- Subject Headings
- Plasma, Biomarkers, Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal, HIV-1, Diagnosis
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Noncoding RNAs as novel pancreatic cancer targets.
- Creator
- Makler, Amy, Narayanan, Ramaswamy, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
- Abstract/Description
-
Pancreatic cancer is an abhorrent malignancy with limited diagnostics and response to drug therapy. It is believed that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) will further the understanding behind the mechanisms of pancreatic cancer development and progression, providing a novel approach for drug development and biomarker discovery. Therefore, a database of pancreatic cancer ncRNAs was established using bioinformatics and text mining approaches. These ncRNAs were characterized for RNA expression, copy...
Show morePancreatic cancer is an abhorrent malignancy with limited diagnostics and response to drug therapy. It is believed that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) will further the understanding behind the mechanisms of pancreatic cancer development and progression, providing a novel approach for drug development and biomarker discovery. Therefore, a database of pancreatic cancer ncRNAs was established using bioinformatics and text mining approaches. These ncRNAs were characterized for RNA expression, copy number variation, disease association, single nucleotide polymorphisms, secretome analysis, and identification of protein targets. Exosomal proteins and ncRNA identified through this study provide the basis for noninvasive diagnostic potential. Additionally, a secreted microRNA, MIR3620, emerged from this study as a potential prognostic and diagnostic biomarker for pancreatic cancer. By analyzing MIR3620 and its protein targets, a mechanism of regulation for these genes in contributing to the progression and development of pancreatic cancer was established.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013086
- Subject Headings
- Pancreas--Cancer., Non-coding RNA., Pancreas--Cancer--Pathogenesis., Biomarkers.
- Format
- Document (PDF)