2011 UALC
Il-Jin Kim, DVM, PhD
University of California, San Francisco
Research Project:
Identification of novel fusion genes and tumor-specific isoforms in triple- or quadruple-negative lung adenocarcinoma patients
Summary:
A personalized medicine approach is an ideal method to increase the treatment efficiency of lung cancer patients, and has seen success in those with EGFR and ALK mutations. However, there are still more than 40% of lung adenocarcinoma patients without major mutations, for whom there are no targeted therapies. Dr. Kim has identified 102 triple (EGFR, KRas, and ALK) and 78 quadruple (triple plus TP53) negative lung adenocarcinoma patients, who have no currently available targeted therapy. In this project, Dr. Kim will validate the 22 novel fusions and 12 potential tumor-specific candidate targets uncovered in these patients using advanced technology (complementary to Dr. Ladanyi’s project). Inhibitors of some of these candidates are being tested in clinical trials in other diseases; validation of these targets will provide new treatment options for these patients and aid selection for clinical trials.
More Content:
Final Report
Dr. Kim and his colleagues have screened over 500 pairs of thoracic malignancies (adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma of the lung, esophageal cancer, and malignant pleural mesothelioma), and have identified a novel lung adenocarcinoma-specific genetic target, found in 27% of samples studied. From this preliminary data, this novel transcript could be utilized as either a diagnostic marker or a therapeutic target. Additional studies will be focused on characterizing the function of this target and assessing it’s potential as a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic agent.
Notable Accomplishments
Dr. Kim has received $100,000 in follow-on funding from the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation and has published 4 peer-reviewed articles. Additionally, this funding has jumpstarted a major project in Dr. Kim’s lab focusing on this target.