Alfa Cytology is a leading custom service provider with experience in pancreatic cancer (PC) basic research and drug development. We are also committed to helping our customers develop successful PC diagnostic biomarkers through tailored services, robust platforms, powerful analytics, and cross-platform collaborations. We are proud to offer a full range of PC diagnostic development services, involving protein biomarkers, miRNAs, circulating exosomes, circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and metabolites, and microbiota.
Considerations for PC biomarkers development
The development of effective biomarkers to screen for PC and provide early diagnosis will allow more PC patients to be detected early, undergo resection, and ultimately improve survival rates. The ideal diagnostic biomarker for effective screening needs to meet the following requirements:
- A useful biomarker suitable for early diagnosis should be minimal or noninvasive. This is because only non-invasive tests are practical enough and can encourage clinician use and patient compliance. Therefore, biomarkers in blood, saliva, urine, and fecal are the focus of research.
- Biomarkers need to be sensitive enough to correctly identify those patients with PC, thus avoiding unnecessary, expensive, and unaffordable procedures.
- In addition to high sensitivity, biomarkers need satisfactory specificity and the ability to distinguish between low-grade abnormal growths and high-grade abnormal growths and cancers.
- Biomarkers are required to be cost-effective and inexpensive for widespread use and ultimately used in health care systems and patients.
The service offering at Alfa Cytology
PC-related protein biomarkers have been detected in patients' blood, pancreatic fluid, and tumor tissue. High-throughput screening of PC patient proteins combined with bioinformatic analysis of existing cancer genomic datasets has led to the identification of many potential new markers for PC diagnosis.
miRNAs have been shown to play important roles in oncogenesis and tumor metastasis of various carcinomas including pancreatic cancer (PC). Recently, an increasing number of studies have reported the potential value of miRNAs as biomarkers for PC diagnosis.
Exosomes have been reported to play an important role in intercellular communication by transferring biologically active donor-cell molecules to recipient cells, leading to physiological changes in the recipient and promoting tumor growth. Accumulating studies have highlighted the potential diagnostic/early detection role of circulating exosomes in PC.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are shed into the blood and can be obtained relatively easily from minimally invasive liquid biopsies for serial analysis and characterization. As liquid biopsies, CTCs provide a useful tool that offers unique potential for early diagnosis, predicting disease prognosis, and monitoring treatment response.
ctDNA represents a subset of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) that can be derived from apoptotic and necrotic tumor cells, living tumor cells, or even CTCs. ctDNAs are a popular class of liquid biopsy biomarkers that are thought to be readily detectable in the plasma of cancer patients even in the early stages of their disease.
Since the pathogenesis of cancer is closely associated with genetic and environmental factors, the application of metabolomics seems to have the greatest potential in oncology research. By comparing changes in metabolic profiles between tumor cells and normal cells, it is possible to identify various metabolites or combinations of metabolites that may be used for specific cancer diagnosis or to monitor treatment response.
Microbiota resides on or within about 20% of human malignancies. Recent studies on the impact of the microbiota on carcinogenesis highlighted its crucial role in gastrointestinal malignancies including PC. A growing number of studies suggest that microbes are associated with susceptibility, initiation, and progression of PC and can influence treatment outcomes.
Advantages of our services
- Independent route design for complex target molecules and timely execution
- Extensive expertise in the field of PC basic research
- Rich experience in PC biomarker discovery and development
- Customized service to customer satisfaction
- Best after-sale service
If you are interested in learning more about our PC diagnostic development services, would like to learn more about opportunities to participate in market research, or are interested in a potential partnership or collaboration, please don't hesitate to contact us.