The MethDet: a technology for biomarker development.
Early detection and diagnosis of a disease in its presymptomatic form has to rely on biomarkers, and multiple laboratories are involved in their development and validation. In this article, we describe our work on a platform technology for a genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation while still using a small amount of sample - a biopsy, a section from a formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue or a small volume (0.4 ml) of plasma from blood. This technology (methylation detection or MethDet) allows genome-wide association studies similar to the analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Instead of mostly static genetic differences, the MethDet technology tests disease-dependent changes of epigenetic makeup, which is closely related to the gene expression pattern of a disease. The MethDet assay has the capacity to utilize highly fragmented DNA (e.g., cell-free circulating DNA from plasma) to identify disease-specific changes, effects of treatment or changes in the disease activity.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. victor_levenson@rush.edu
Victor V
VV
Levenson
Anatoliy A
AA
Melnikov
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D015894:Genome, Human; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
D015415:Biomarkers; D004247:DNA