Download SKILCAB = Screening Kit for Lung Cancer Biomarkers

SKILCAB = Screening Kit for Lung Cancer Biomarkers
Call: http://www.eurostars-eureka.eu/
Deadline: 30 Spetember 2010
Main Applicant: Farmafin, Italy – Prof. P Alecce
Coordinator: Prof. Gennaro Ciliberto
E-mail: [email protected]
Introduction:
Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world.
Lung cancers are highly heterogeneous malignancies, with tumors containing
more than one subtype being very common. Similar to many other cancers, lung
cancer is initiated by activation of oncogenes or inactivation of tumor suppressor
genes.
Lung cancer has a complex picture of genetic changes found in lung cancer
indicates that this pathology is not a single disease but is a composite of multiple
diseases bearing activation of distinct signalling pathways which may participate
in the subversion of cell growth and differentiation and resistance to apoptosis.
This also explains why emerging therapies targeted to a specific gene, are
efficient only in the subset of patients bearing specific mutational events
involving that gene, or showing activation of the signalling pathway linked to
that particular gene. Hence we believe that the future of lung cancer diagnosis
and therapy is clearly that of pharmacogenomic or otherwise called personalized
therapy, where initial diagnosis initially identifies for each patient the major
genetic or epigenetic alterations leading to cell growth deregulation. Based on
these considerations major efforts are currently directed to identify genetic
and/or epigenetic events in lung cancer such as mutations, translocations, gene
silencing, alternative splicing, MIR expression changes, validate them as new
Biomarkers, and develop sophisticated novel diagnostic tools linked to them.
SCOPE OF THE PROJECT: Improve cancer diagnosis and follow up to therapy
by identifying novel biomarkers and generating relevant diagnostic tests useful
for screening the peripheral blood of cancer patients
SPECIFIC AIMS will be the identification of 3 types of Biomarkers for lung
cancer: a) the identification and characterization of novel cancer-specific gene
fusions deriving from translocations, chromosomal deletions, inversions; b)
comprehensive analysis of alternative splicing; c) Lung cancer-specific
MicroRNA changes.
FINAL GOAL of the project is to develop novel diagnostic assays able to detect
simultaneously a variety of driver genetic or transcriptional events taking place
in lung cancer. The final format will be that of a multiplex custom microarray
Field of the operation: Oncology, Lung Cancer, Diagnosis, Multianalytes
Project details:
Duration – up to 36 months
Estimated budget: 2.4 MEuro (1.2 MEuro will be shared by SMEs, the
other half will be shared between Academical Partners).
Participants already involved:
Participant
Farmafin
FARMA
FIN
University
of USAMV
Agricultural
Scieneces
and
Veterinary
Medicine of Cluj
Oncological
IOCN
Institute of Cluj
NIRI
ICI
Department of Human
Genetics, University
Medical School of
Debrecen,
H-4012
Debrecen Nagyerdei
körút 98, Hungary
UoD
Dept of Clin & Mol UNIRO
Type of Country
Organiz
ation
SME
Italy
Scientific
Contact
Legal
Representative
Web page
G. Ciliberto
Dr. Alecce
www.farm
afin.com/
Dr. D. Pamfil
www.usa
mvcluj.ro
SME
Uni
Rumania
R.
Suharoschi
Hospital
Rumania
Researc
h
Institute
Uni
Rumania
Dr.
Neagoe
L. Badea
Hungary
Prof. Sándor
I. Dr. Al. Irimie
www.unid
eb.hu/
Biró
Uni
Italy
M. Torrisi
www.iocn.
ro/
www.ici.ro/
Prof. M. Torrisi
www.uniro
Med, University of MA
Rome La Sapienza
RNA Biology
UWE
Group, School of
Life Sciences,
University of the
West of England
ma1.it/
Uni
UK
M. Ladomery
PARTNER SEARCH:
SMEs or large company with expertise in the field of micraoarrays,
lung cancer biomarkers, omics technology, bioinformatics
www.ladom
erylab.org