Validating Biomarkers for Childhood Leukemia

A joint clinical research project is targeted at improving the diagnosis and monitoring of childhood leukemia. The project is being undertaken by The Children's Hospital of Denver (CO, USA) and CeMines, Inc. (Golden, CO, USA).

The research is based on the Molecular FingerPrinting of CeMines, which is a minimally invasive diagnostic process. Using this process, scientists are able to detect changes of blood-based cancer cells in minute quantities, by analyzing messenger RNA (mRNA) anomalies from pediatric patients with childhood leukemia and then comparing the samples with those of healthy children. The research will be conducted jointly by Toomas Neuman, Ph.D., CSO of CeMines, at the company's Diagnostics and Therapeutics Research Division in La Jolla (CA, USA), and Nicholas Foreman, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at The Children's Hospital.

"CeMines' Molecular FingerPrinting and, specifically, its capability to detect changes in mRNA structure in young cancer patients, has the potential to change the way we diagnose cancer,” remarked Dr. Foreman. "We are very optimistic about the outcome of the research project with CeMines. If successful, it will have a marked impact on a physician's ability to improve survival rates for this terrible disease, and to do so based on early detection.”

Roger Attick, CEO of CeMines, pointed out that this is a joint initiative to adapt and improve CeMines' technology for the identification and analysis of specific mRNA structural anomalies. "This is a novel application for CeMines, and we look forward to improving legacy procedures by introducing new methods of diagnosing and monitoring childhood leukemia.”





Related Links:
CeMines
Children's Hospital of Denver