Probing Androgen Receptor Signaling in Circulating Tumor Cells in Prostate Cancer
Abstract
This Award focuses on using a novel microfluidic CTC-chip to capture and measure androgen receptor (AR) activity in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in prostate cancer patients before and after hormonal therapy. During the first year of this award, we have successfully developed a quantitative immunofluorescence assay to measure AR activity in single CTCs, and have piloted this assay in men with metastatic prostate cancer receiving treatment with hormonal therapy. Preliminary results suggest that this novel assay can effectively measure AR activity levels in CTCs, and that CTC AR activity at baseline and after therapy may be correlated with treatment outcomes. Thus, this CTC-based assay may serve as a non-invasive biomarker that can potentially help guide therapy in prostate cancer. These initial results were published during this term in Cancer Discovery. Ongoing efforts include single CTC transcriptional profiling to better understand heterogeneity of metastatic precursor cells and uncover alternative signaling pathways that may be activated in castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA589544
Entities
People
- David T. Miyamoto
Organizations
- Massachusetts General Hospital