Immunosignature Strategy for Development of Clinical Biomarkers and Identification of New Drug Target Candidates for Pediatric Brain Cancer

Award:$234,000
Project leaders: Bob Carter, MD, PhD, University of California, San Diego; Stephen Albert Johnston, PhD, Arizona State University; and Robert Wechsler-Reya, PhD, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
Funding Partner: ABC2 (Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure)

Antibody-based profiling shows promise as a general approach to diagnosis and as an indicator/biomarker of response to treatment. Researchers have developed a novel technology platform to detect patterns of tumor-recognizing antibodies, or immunosignatures, that differ by tumor type and disease state.

Using this platform, researchers will assay human tumor and blood samples to define signatures that correlate with each of the four molecular subtypes of medulloblastoma. Simple blood tests analyzing these immunosignatures patterns have already been shown by Dr. Johnston’s lab to recognize different types of adult brain cancer.

In specialized laboratory models of medulloblastoma, researchers will test the utility of the immunosignatures as dynamic biomarkers for early detection of tumor growth/relapse and of tumor responsiveness to drugs. The tumor-associated proteins that elicit the immunosignatures will also be identified, thereby uncovering candidate targets for novel therapies for medulloblastoma.