Translational research : the journal of laboratory and clinical medicine
-
Pancreatic cancer is one of the main causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. It is asymptomatic at an early stage, and most diagnosis occurs when the disease is already at a late stage, by which time the tumor is nonresectable. In order to increase the overall survival of patients with pancreatic cancer, as well as to decrease the cancer burden, it is necessary to perform early diagnosis, prognosis stratifications and cancer monitoring using accurate, minimally invasive, and cost-effective methods. ⋯ In patients with pancreatic cancer, tumor-derived materials, primarily circulating tumor DNA, circulating tumor cells and exosomes, are being studied for inclusion in the management of the disease. This review focuses on describing the biology of these biomarkers, methods for their enrichment and detection, as well as their potential for clinical application. Moreover, we discuss the future direction of liquid biopsies and introduce how they can be exploited toward point of care personalized medicine for the management of pancreatic cancer.
-
Liquid biopsies examine tumor cells or tumor genomic content in circulating fluids. In advanced prostate cancer which metastasizes frequently to the bone, it is difficult to evaluate underlying and evolving genomic heterogeneity of skeletal metastases for effecting clinical care for which reason liquid biopsies offer an alternate approach. In this review, we will summarize the current state of a wide variety of liquid biopsy-based biomarker assays currently being investigated and developed for managing prostate cancer. We will also highlight technical and clinical challenges and opportunities for translating liquid biopsies into clinical applications.
-
Despite decades of investigation, we cannot predict, prevent, or adequately treat the most common and deadly complications of pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension). The current working hypothesis for the repeated failures of several multicenter studies that measured a wide variety of biomarkers is common pregnancy complications like pre-eclampsia are most likely heterogeneous syndromes with various etiologies; therefore, no combination of blood-based biomarkers will provide predictive power. Although the clinical syndrome of pre-eclampsia may have various causes, the current dogma is most cases share similar placental pathology, including accelerated chorionic villous maturation and an increased frequency of malperfusion-related infarctions. ⋯ A major obstacle to advancement in this field has been the lack of EV imaging and isolation assays that can provide both cell- and size-specificity. Nanoscale multiplex high-resolution flow cytometry being developed in a number of laboratories may provide a solution. It is a potential means to quantitate both cell- and size-specific EVs from various cell sources, including the placenta.
-
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) culminates in the autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic βcells, leading to insufficient production of insulin and development of hyperglycemia. Serum biomarkers including a combination of glucose, glycated molecules, C-peptide, and autoantibodies have been well established for the diagnosis of T1D. However, these molecules often mark a late stage of the disease when ∼90% of the pancreatic insulin-producing β-cells have already been lost. ⋯ Therefore, considerable efforts have been dedicated to the understanding of disease etiology and the discovery of novel biomarkers in the last few decades. The advent of high-throughput and sensitive "-omics" technologies for the study of proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites have allowed large scale profiling of protein expression and gene changes in T1D patients relative to disease-free controls. In this review, we briefly discuss the classical diagnostic biomarkers of T1D but mainly focus on the novel biomarkers that are identified as markers of β-cell destruction and screened with the use of state-of-the-art "-omics" technologies.
-
Due to tremendous technological advances, radiation oncologists are now capable of personalized treatment plans and deliver the dose in a highly precise manner. However, a crucial challenge is how to escalate radiation doses to cancer cells while reducing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. This determines the probability of achieving therapeutic success whilst safeguarding patients from complications. ⋯ Preclinical studies in mice and nonhuman primates have shown that serum circulating microRNAs can be used to accurately distinguish pre- and postirradiation states and predict the biological impact of high-dose irradiation. First reports from human studies are also encouraging, however biology-driven precision radiation oncology, which tailors treatment to individual patient's needs, still remains to be translated into clinical studies. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about the potential of serum microRNAs as biodosimeters and biomarkers for radiation injury to lung and hematopoietic cells.