We have developed a salivary gland tumor model and an assay to detect traces of cancer genetic material in the peripheral blood
Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are an extensive subject of research at the Institute, focusing on the assessment of susceptibility to disease, the impact of the presence of specific changes in the genome on the occurrence of metastases, disease progression or the search for new genes important in the pathogenesis of these tumors.
The work of an interdisciplinary research group composed of scientists from the Institute of Human Genetics, Poznań University of Medical Sciences and the Greater Poland Cancer Center over the years has resulted in the publication of over 160 scientific papers with a total Impact Factor > 170 (original experimental papers, review papers, chapters in books and monographs) and in obtaining over 20 research grants.
As part of this work, a bank of clinically well-characterized biological samples was created, including DNA and RNA from the tumors and blood of patients with squamous neoplasms, including larynx, pharynx and mouth (currently 150 sets) and salivary gland tumors (currently 150 sets). Importantly, the collection includes not only tumor specimens, but also fragments of tissues collected during procedures not related to the neoplastic process, which constitute an appropriate reference control in our research. Also noteworthy is that over 500 plasma samples have been collected in recent years for the study of cell free cancer DNA (cfDNA). Genetic research opens the way for further studies to improve diagnostics and design new targeted therapy strategies. In this way, it can have a key impact on the advancement of disease treatment and also on society. To this end, we have started cooperation with Polish companies such as Medicopharma S.A., Genomed or the DNA Research Center, focused, among others, on the development and implementation of a comprehensive diagnostic algorithm for the prevention and personalization of the treatment of HPV-dependent solid tumors, which led, among others, to expand the range of genetic services offered by companies in this industry.
The result of the implementation of our research was the development of a unique cell line carcinoma mucoepidermale, which is a model enabling functional studies and research on the effects of treatment of an aggressive type of salivary gland cancer. The model we have created is protected by a patent granted by the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland and is available to the scientific community (patent application number P.414457). Another important element in advancing the treatment of neck and head cancers is the development of a non-invasive diagnostic and predictive test called “cancer fingerprint” for the detection of cancer genetic material traces in the peripherial blood (“cancer fingerprints”) for patients with HNSCC after surgical resection of the tumor. The test is based on the analysis of cfDNA methylation in the patient’s peripheral blood. This project was co-financed by the Operational Programme Intelligent Development (granting agency National Centre for Research and Development). The tool prepared for commercialization will be used both at the stage of the first patient diagnosis, as well as during the monitoring of the effectiveness of the therapy. It will significantly speed up the detection of disease recurrence and make the right therapeutic decisions. Many years of cooperation with the Greater Poland Cancer Center have contributed to the discovery of a new marker protein for the metastasis process (PPA1 protein), which allows to determine the risk of metastasis based on the histopathological examination of the primary tumor. This discovery was awarded at the international conference International Academy of Pathology, European Society of Pathology, Cologne / Germany.