Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SweetCancerTest (Diagnostics of aberrant cancer glycosylation signatures)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-07-01 al 2023-12-31
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are much needed. All living cells are covered with a dense layer of ‘sugar-coat’ that is altered in cancer. One of the hallmarks of cancer is the expression of aberrant cell surface glycosylation patterns compared to normal cells. Current antibody-based assays against cancer glycans are commonly utilized to monitor clinical response to therapy, however none is useful for early detection or diagnosis due to low sensitivity and specificity. We aimed to develope a unique system for novel cancer diagnostics based on cancer glycosylation. Such validated tools could be used to identify cancer at an early stage and also for optimizing therapy to patients of unique sugar-code signatures.
Sialic acids cover cell surface glycans and frequently have altered expression on many types of carcinoma cells and correlate with cancer progression and/or metastasis. We investigated sialic acid-containing carbohydrate-neoantigens as targets for cancer diagnostics based on unique gene signatures and magnetic beads assays.
We initiated validation studies of our novel diagnostics using multiple samples from cancer patients, and explored their translation and potential appeal for industry.