Dentistry researcher receives a $2.5M grant to validate liquid biopsy test for lung cancer

In an effort to move the needle forward to improve cancer detection techniques, the National Cancer Institute awarded $2.5 million over a period of five years to principal investigator,Dr. David Wong,  a professor of oral biology and associate dean for research at the UCLA School of Dentistry. The grant will support a clinical trial to validate the research team’s liquid biopsy test, a rapidly emerging technology, with the goal to have it become a certified service at UCLA and beyond.For this project, the dental school is partnering with the UCLA Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, led by Dr. Scott Binder, senior vice chair of pathology and laboratory medicine and director of pathology clinical services at UCLA Health.Current clinical practice for diagnosing lung cancer involves an invasive bronchoscopy, followed by genotyping of the captured cells for key indicators and mutations of lung cancer. Genotyping is the process of determining the genetic make-up of an organism. However, this process comes with challenges. Tumor biopsies aren ’t entirely accurate and could have sampling errors, or may not be feasible, depending on the health and age of the patient.Liquid biopsy testing is a more effective, minimally invasive way to detect for key indicators in lung cancer. Current clinical liquid biopsy testing of blood and urine include  utilizing digital droplet PCR or next generation sequencing, both of which provide roughly 80 percent concordance with tissue biopsy g...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news