Asheville, NC, November 04, 2015 --(PR.com
)-- The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and ABC2 (Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure) are working together to fund the development of immunosignature-based blood tests for detecting, classifying and monitoring pediatric medulloblastoma over time.
The lead investigators of the study are Dr. Bob Carter of the University of California, San Diego, Dr. Stephen Albert Johnston of Arizona State University and Dr. Robert Wechsler-Reya of the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Research Discovery Institute.
What are immunosignatures?
Immunosignatures are a new, state-of-the-art technology with the potential to make early brain cancer detection a reality. They work by looking at how antibody signals in the blood change when the immune system – the body’s natural defense against invaders like cancer – detects a brain tumor.
“Imagine using results of blood tests to keep parents, patients, and physicians in the know about the course of the disease,” said Dr. Joanne Salcido, PBTF vice president of research and family support. “That is the end goal of this innovative work being piloted for brain tumors in childhood. We are excited to join ABC2 in funding this potentially transformative project.”
“When sensing a tumor, the immune system tries to mount an attack using antibodies that recognize unique molecules produced by the tumor cells. Just a single drop of blood contains enough of these tumor-recognizing antibodies to reveal specific, accurate information about the particular characteristics of a tumor,” said Dr. Stephen Albert Johnson of the BioDesign Institute at Arizona State.
Simple blood tests analyzing the patterns of these tumor-recognizing antibodies have already been shown by Dr. Johnston's lab to recognize different types of adult brain cancer.
What this means for pediatric brain tumors
“The concept proposed is to identify different patterns of tumor-recognizing antibodies in the blood that indicate the presence/absence of medulloblastoma and differentiate between types of medulloblastoma tumors in children,” said Dr. Bob Carter of the University of California, San Diego.
“Once such patterns are identified, they will be examined in laboratory models to verify their accuracy, determine their relationship to disease progression and therapeutic response, and inform the search for new medulloblastoma therapy targets,” said Dr. Robert Wechsler-Reya of the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Research Discovery Institute.
“We’re excited to partner with PBTF and bring these excellent researchers together,” said Max Wallace, CEO of ABC2. “If this work is successful, it could ultimately lead to blood tests that allow early detection, accurate diagnosis, and straightforward monitoring of pediatric medulloblastoma. Together with identifying potential new targets for therapy, these advances could significantly improve childhood brain cancer treatment.”