Alfa Cytology is a leading provider of pancreatic cancer (PC) research services. Here, we are providing PC genetic/ molecular research services. We have many years of experience in PC genetic/ molecular research and can provide a variety of quality services to our clients. Thanks to next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and our established large-scale sequencing platforms, we can design and plan experimental protocols according to the specific needs of our clients and provide appropriate solutions to help your basic PC research or drug development projects.
The potential of NGS in PC management
PC is a recalcitrant and serious disease caused by the accumulation of genetic alterations in specific cancer-associated genes. There is a lack of more effective treatment options for patients, and the 5-year survival rate for patients with the disease is less than 5%. Over the past 30 years, treatment for this disease has progressed slowly. To accelerate the progress of PC research and treatment, one of the strategies is to perform NGS to interrogate PC genomes, exploring new somatic variants in genes or signaling pathways. To date, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) using NGS has been used to identify somatic cell changes in PC patients. Researchers also performed RNA sequencing to determine if any expression changes were associated with somatic cell changes. Moreover, NGS has been used to investigate the coding and non-coding transcriptomes of PC, such as miRNAs, piRNAs, and lncRNAs. There are two major applications of NGS in PC management, including PC diagnostics and the identification of PC therapeutic targets.
The service offering at Alfa Cytology
WGS using NGS provides base-pair level analysis of mutations specific to cancer tissue. WGS greatly facilitates the discovery of new cancer-associated variants, including single nucleotide locus variants (SNV), copy number variations, insertions/deletions (indel), and structural variants.
Whole-exome sequencing (WES) has been successfully applied in cancer studies, including PC. This sequencing technology has been utilized to reveal the clonal evolution of PC and to estimate the timing of pancreatic carcinogenesis. We have accumulated rich experience in PC exome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis.
RNA-seq method has been performed in PC research with cell lines, circulating tumor cells, and PC tissues. The discovery of new differentially expressed genes and canonical pathways by this sequencing technology has provided important clues for understanding the molecular mechanism of PC pathogenesis and opened up a new area of research in PC.
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has emerged as a powerful tool in the study of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) microenvironment with unprecedented resolution. scRNA-seq can be applied to investigate and identify diverse malignant and stromal cell types, contributing to an in-depth characterization of PDAC intra-tumor heterogeneity, the underlying mechanisms of PDAC progression, and more.
The study of ctDNA can provide information on the molecular profile and biological properties of individual PDAC tumors, helping to identify new therapeutic targets, new risk variants, and markers of tumor response. Since PDAC is one of the most lethal diseases with a poor prognosis that may be related to disease recurrence and lack of effective surveillance methods. Therefore, liquid biopsy-based on ctDNA analysis is more promising for this specific cancer type.
At Alfa Cytology, our goal is to apply state-of-the-art infrastructure as well as market-leading technology to promote PC research and drug development. Our global customer base includes pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and research institutions. Thank you for choosing our services. If you have any related questions, please contact our staff. We are glad to work with you!