Can we predict tumor outcome through cell-based proteomic assays?

$200
Raised of $40,000 Goal
1%
Ended on 10/12/13
Campaign Ended
  • $200
    pledged
  • 1%
    funded
  • Finished
    on 10/12/13

About This Project

Cancer accounts for nearly one of every four disease-related deaths in the United States, it is estimated that 1.6 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Globally, cancer incidence is on the rise, with approximately 13 million lives estimated to be lost to cancer by 2030. Improved survival from cancers can be attributed to the success of multi-pronged therapeutic approaches including targeting of specific tumor survival mechanisms. We aim to characterize tumor survival mechanisms using innovative single cell analyses to better guide therapy . Visit: DeePath Home Page

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What is the context of this research?

A novel cell-based assay for analysis of individual tumor cells in the context of their micro environment will be developed. By mass spectrometry-based precise protein quantitation, cell type-specific functional proteomic data will be captured from pathologic liquid biopsy samples. Visualization and interpretation of the data will be accomplished through novel analytics for insights into the data.

What is the significance of this project?

This research is based upon preliminary data exploring the capability of mass cytometry to analyze blood samples with chronic myelogenous leukemia. The assay and high dimensional analysis demonstrated the ability to identify >20 non-overlapping cell-types in the peripheral blood. Signaling activities associated with abnormal biologic behavior (due to deregulated functions such as cell division) were assessed. By assaying for functional markers, rare progenitor cells arising from stem cells which had survived therapy could be identified. Thus, multiplexed cell-based assays can improve accuracy of disease detection.

What are the goals of the project?

The funds will be used to purchase monoclonal antibodies towards lineage-associated antigens and important regulatory proteins which are potential functional biomarkers. Multiplexed panels will comprise of antibodies tagged to rare earth metal isotopes. The optimized antibody panels will be applied to small aliquots (~0.1-0.5 ml) of de-identified human blood or one marrow samples from patients with refractory malignancies.

Budget

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This phase of my project will focus on designing high parameter rare earth metal-conjugated antibody panels, for the purpose of multiplexed proteomic characterization of individual cells in blood samples. De-identified blood or marrow samples obtained from a local cancer center will be tested at a core cytometry lab.

Endorsed by

The project has real merit and Dr De has previously shown the intellect and dedication to be successful in this project.

Meet the Team

Jita De
Jita De

Team Bio

Dr. Jitakshi is a graduate of Duke University School of Medicine, and received her Baccalaureate of Science in Biology summa cum laude from UNC – Chapel Hill. As a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Medical Student Fellowship Recipient at NIEHS (Research Triangle Park, NC), she discovered an unusual CCCH type of Zn++ finger transcription factor with a role in early development of Xenopus. Upon completion of her residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the University of Texas Houston Health Science Center, she pursued her fellowship in hematopathology at the University of Michigan Hospital. Dr. De is a physician scientist with licensure in California, Michigan, Texas and New York and a diplomate of the American Board of Pathology. She is a Fellow of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) since 2008 and of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) since 2009. She has authored/co-authored 14 peer-reviewed publications and numerous abstract presentations in diverse areas including chronic lymphocytic leukemia prognostic factors, signal transduction pathways in classical Hodgkin lymphoma, acute myeloid leukemia-associated genetic point mutations and chromosomal translocations, genotypic-phenotypic correlations, multi-parametric flow cytometry-based diagnostics for hematologic neoplasms, mass spectrometry, rare stem/progenitor cell detection and characterization, and target-specific lead discovery. She was a recipient of the CAP Fellowship in Hematopathology (’06) and has received a stem cell research award from BD Biosciences (’13). Besides being an entrepreneur, she is deeply interested in deciphering cell-cell signaling interactions in oncogenic states.

Jita De

Dr. Jitakshi is a graduate of Duke University School of Medicine, and received her Baccalaureate of Science in Biology summa cum laude from UNC – Chapel Hill. As a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Medical Student Fellowship Recipient at NIEHS (Research Triangle Park, NC), she discovered an unusual CCCH type of Zn++ finger transcription factor with a role in early development of Xenopus. Upon completion of her residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the University of Texas Houston Health Science Center, she pursued her fellowship in hematopathology at the University of Michigan Hospital. Dr. De is a physician scientist with licensure in California, Michigan, Texas and New York and a diplomate of the American Board of Pathology. She is a Fellow of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) since 2008 and of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) since 2009. She has authored/co-authored 14 peer-reviewed publications and numerous abstract presentations in diverse areas including chronic lymphocytic leukemia prognostic factors, signal transduction pathways in classical Hodgkin lymphoma, acute myeloid leukemia-associated genetic point mutations and chromosomal translocations, genotypic-phenotypic correlations, multi-parametric flow cytometry-based diagnostics for hematologic neoplasms, mass spectrometry, rare stem/progenitor cell detection and characterization, and target-specific lead discovery. She was a recipient of the CAP Fellowship in Hematopathology (’06) and has received a stem cell research award from BD Biosciences (’13). Besides being an entrepreneur, she is deeply interested in deciphering cell-cell signaling interactions in oncogenic states.


Project Backers

  • 3Backers
  • 1%Funded
  • $200Total Donations
  • $66.67Average Donation
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