Scientists Discover New Molecular Markers For Testicular Cancer

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Men's health;  Urology / Nephrology
Article Date: 18 Oct 2007 - 7:00 PDT

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Scientists at the Erasmus MC-University Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, have made significant advances in testicular cancer research by identifying and analyzing a set of specific microRNA molecular markers that are involved in the development of testicular tumors. The study, which will be published in the November issue of The Journal of Pathology (Vol. 213 issue 3), provides new information about the unique cellular events that cause testicular cancer. These findings could potentially lead to earlier identification of the disease and new approaches for treating the cancer.

Although testicular cancer is relatively rare in the general population, it is the most common cancer in men between the ages of 15 and 44 years old1. This study has found that normal and cancerous cells contain distinctly different amounts of molecules called microRNAs. The findings also showed that a tumor's microRNA expression pattern provides vital information about the malignancy of the tumor. This new information could help clinicians to identify testicular cancer patients more quickly and more accurately, and provide more precise prognoses than current approaches.

MicroRNAs are short non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression. They play an important role in many biological processes, particularly in cell differentiation and development. MicroRNAs have also been implicated in a number of different diseases, including various cancers. Research related to microRNAs is one of the fastest growing areas in biology.

The researchers in this study, who included Prof Leendert Looijenga, group leader within the department of pathology at the Erasmus Medical Center, which is affiliated with the Josephine Nefkens Institute in Rotterdam, and Simone Günther, Ph.D. and Jon Sherlock, Ph.D. from Applied Biosystems, profiled the expression patterns of 157 microRNA molecules in a series of different testicular tumors and normal testicular tissue samples.

To conduct this research, the scientific team deployed a high-throughput, quantitative PCR-based approach to compare the microRNA expression profiles of multiple cell tumor samples in parallel. The real-time PCR workflow comprised an Applied Biosystems 7900HT Real-Time PCR System, running a variety of chemistries that included Applied Biosystems TaqMan® MicroRNA Assays configured in a panel format, and Applied Biosystems TaqMan® Array Human MicroRNA Panel.

The use of this real-time PCR workflow enabled the researchers to accurately determine the relative levels of mature microRNAs across a large number of different tumor samples, including those microRNAs present at levels too low to detect and quantify using other methods. The large dynamic range of the TaqMan® Assays allowed researchers to measure, in parallel, a broad range of target microRNA levels. The RT-qPCR data were analyzed using Real-Time StatMiner©, a data analysis software tool designed by Integromics™, Spain (http://www.integromics.com) in collaboration with Applied Biosystems.

"These findings have provided us with a new level of information for understanding the biology of cancer and these will also be applicable to breast, lung, colon and other cancers," said Prof Leendert Looijenga, group leader within the Department of Pathology at the Erasmus Medical Center. "The contribution from Applied Biosystems in this study was particularly important in helping us to interpret our findings in the relevant biological context, and the accuracy and sensitivity of the TaqMan chemistries gave us great confidence in our results."

Applied Biosystems is a global leader in the development and commercialization of instrument-based systems, consumables, software, and services for the life-science market. Combined with microRNA isolation kits and analysis products from Ambion, Inc., an Applied Biosystems business, the company offers one of the life-science industry's most comprehensive lines of microRNA analysis tools. The microRNA TaqMan® Arrays, along with a complete line of TaqMan® Array Gene Signature Panels and more than 700,000 individual TaqMan® Gene Expression Assays, are available on the Applied Biosystems website. More information about Applied Biosystems' complete line of microRNA analysis solutions is available at: http://mirna.appliedbiosystems.com.

1. Statistics from Cancer Research UK

About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems

Applera Corporation consists of two operating groups. The Applied Biosystems Group serves the life science industry and research community by developing and marketing instrument-based systems, consumables, software, and services. Its customers use these tools to analyze nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), small molecules, and proteins to make scientific discoveries and develop new pharmaceuticals. The Applied Biosystems' products also serve the needs of some markets outside of life science research, which we refer to as "applied markets." These include the fields of human identity testing (forensic and paternity testing); biosecurity, which refers to products needed in response to the threat of biological terrorism and other malicious, accidental, and natural biological dangers; and quality and safety testing, such as testing required for food and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, CA, and reported sales of approximately $2.1 billion during fiscal 2007.

The Celera Group is primarily a molecular diagnostics business that is using proprietary genomics and proteomics discovery platforms to identify and validate novel diagnostic markers, and is developing diagnostic products based on these markers as well as other known markers. Celera maintains a strategic alliance with Abbott for the development and commercialization of molecular, or nucleic acid-based, diagnostic products, and it is also developing new diagnostic products outside of this alliance. Through its genomics and proteomics research efforts, Celera is also discovering and validating therapeutic targets, and it is seeking strategic partnerships to develop therapeutic products based on these discovered targets. Information about Applera Corporation, including reports and other information filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is available at http://www.applera.com. Information about Applied Biosystems is available at http://www.appliedbiosystems.com.