Opportunity

With vague-presenting early symptoms and a 5-year survival rate of around 10% in the USA, pancreatic cancer (PC) is difficult to diagnose early and has limited effective therapeutic options. However, if detected earlier, PC survival increases to 80%, suggesting that early detection is key to enhancing survival. Carbohydrate antigen 19-9, the only FDA-approved biomarker test for PC, is typically only used to monitor disease after therapy rather than provide sensitive and specific detection for PC. The quiet onset and high lethality of pancreatic cancer requires a novel, accurate, cost effective, and minimally invasive approach to early diagnosis and continued monitoring of PC.

Breakthrough in Pancreatic Cancer Detection and Monitoring

Researchers at the University of South Alabama have discovered not only that the level of mitochondrial DNA in extracellular vesicles (EV) from the blood is measurably higher in pancreatic cancer patients compared to cancer-free patients, but also that multiple specific mitochondrial DNA mutations are present in pancreatic cancer patients. Found in the blood and in other bodily fluids, extracellular vesicles (EV) are particles secreted from cells and contain biomarkers including those of mitochondria in origin. Mitochondrial function is a vital element for tumor cell development, and irregular function is often observed in cancer cells due to mitochondrial DNA mutations as the cells replicate. Extracting and measuring the EV-associated biomarkers from a patient blood sample can yield a wealth of information on the amount of mitochondrial DNA, the number of mitochondrial DNA mutations, and the specific type of mutations present. These promising results present the potential for an accurate, cost-effective, clinically applicable biomarker test to both detect pancreatic cancer early and reduce mortality.  The method can also be used to monitor disease development by measuring new mitochondrial DNA mutations as they appear. By identifying mitochondrial mutations common among pancreatic cancer patients at various stages, the effect of treatment and possibility of cancer recurrence may also be monitored.

Competitive Advantages

• Positioned to provide critical diagnostic and progression information on an aggressive cancer.
• Data from a blood sample makes potential biomarker test cost-effective and minimally invasive.
• EV-associated biomarkers can be identified to monitor efficacy of treatment and possible cancer recurrence.

Intellectual Property Status

Patent Pending