Targeting the Rest of Your Genome to Detect Glioblastoma (Round 2)

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About This Project

Recently, scientists have discovered an entirely new category of gene product called noncoding RNA, which does not make protein, but rather RNAs that regulate the expression of all genes at the RNA level. We have identified a novel RNA transcript that is detectable in human cancer cell lines, but not normal lines. Therefore, we intend to unlock the mysteries of this noncoding RNA by performing knockdown studies to determine the functional consequences after cells loose this RNA molecule.

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What is the context of this research?

Developing a biomarker that detects the presence of GBM is the first step in developing new cures for these patients. A challenge in the GBM field is the lack of information pertaining to alternative FDA-approved therapeutics that could be used to treat GBM patients. The Institute is solving this by utilizing noncoding RNA expression profiles to assess which gene pathways are altered in individual GBM patients.

This proposal is a validation study to obtain data on noncoding RNAs already identified to play a role in tumorigenesis. The Institute is focused on circRNAs, a type of noncoding RNA detected in the late 70’s after the discovery of viroids. The Institute will elucidate whether certain circRNAs are present in GBM specimens, and will assess how these RNAs contribute to disease.

What is the significance of this project?

Developing a treatment for GBM patients that significantly increases longevity is critically needed. The development of reliable biomarkers that allow clinicians to make informed decisions regarding the care and treatment of their patients is desperately needed. The Institute launched this project because our survey indicated engaging both the scientific and GBM community directly would foster the most innovative and promising research in the field.

This proposal is unique in that it is entirely crowdfunded. Donor feedback and support is encouraged and scientific updates will be provided to donors as “Milestones”. Also at the end of the study, donors will be able to access published datasets and articles to better inform the scientific and GBM communities on ways to end brain cancer.

What are the goals of the project?

Goal 1: Expression analysis of candidate circRNAs in clinical samples, including normal brain tissue, GBM tissue, and GBM patient serum, will be performed via PCR to validate these circRNAs as GBM biomarkers.

Goal 2: circRNA profiles will be linked to individual histopathology assessments and clinical outcomes (i.e., overall survival), to develop these circRNAs into prognostic biomarkers.

Goal 3: Results of the project including summaries and datasets will be made available to donors. Results will serve as pilot data for future grant applications.

Budget

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The Institute has raised money from Experiment.com before, and are now determining if candidate circRNAs expressed in GBM are functionally relevant, and if they correlate with disease etiology. The funds from this project cover the indirect costs required to work in a shared lab setting, and the costs associated with cell culture and PCR assays.

Money will also be used to publish findings to the research community. We have identified several noncoding RNAs that are expressed in GBM but not normal tissue. This budget allows us to interrogate up two 2 noncoding RNAs in cancer cell lines.

We intend to culture GBM cancer cell lines and transfect them with molecules to inhibit their function in cancer. We will use this data for grant applications to fund projects that bring us one step closer to the clinic.

Project Timeline

The Institute will have several deliverables for donors paired with the timeline of the project. Every month an update will be posted with respect to the project, the goals achieved, and the future directions of the Institute. A discussion panel will be available so donors can ask questions directly to the Institute regarding tumor biology and RNA science. Lab notebooks will also be available, and will contain the scientific successes and, yes, the failures of the Institute.

Sep 01, 2018

Cell Cultures Grown and RNA extracted - Donors get pictures of what cancer cells versus normal neurons look like ; also lab notebook entry is made

Oct 01, 2018

PCR Results Obtained - Donors get to see the preliminary RNA expression data acquired from cell culture experiments ; also lab notebook entry is made

Nov 01, 2018

Acquisition of Primary Samples -  Donors get to see what a real tumor section looks like under the microscope ; also lab notebook entry is made

Jan 01, 2019

Acquisition of Pathology Report - Donors will get a synopsis of what goes into a path report, and how it helps inform scientists ; also lab notebook entry is made

Feb 01, 2019

(PILOT) Knockdown Experiments - Donors will see pictures of phenotypic cell culture assays we perform to assess what an RNA gene normally does

Meet the Team

Brian D. Adams, PhD, FIC, MT
Brian D. Adams, PhD, FIC, MT
Professor and President / CEO / Director of Research

Affiliates

The Brain Institute of America, LLC The Brain Institute of America Foundation
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Brian D. Adams, PhD, FIC, MT

The Brain Institute of America, LLC was formed in March of 2017 with the goal of developing therapeutics for those with chronic neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as those with malignancies of the brain. The Institute was initiated after I experienced the loss of my father from glioblastoma multiform, and observing other colleagues witness the same.


The founder and president / CEO of the Institute Brian D. Adams, PhD, received his B.S. in Biology from King's College, his Ph.D in Biomedical Sciences from UCONN Health, and performed his postdoctoral work at Yale University and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard Medical School).


The Institute has over a decade of experience in the noncoding RNA field, and we are using this knowledge to develop biomarkers for neurologic disorders and rare forms of brain cancer.


Since the formation of the Institute we have made collaborations across the country to foster the development of novel RNA biomarkers to detect these disorders. In order to develop cures for neurological disorders the mission of the Institute is to bring together academic scholars, oncologists, and private corporations to generate novel questions and to strategize on how to develop the tools necessary for detecting the early onset of these disorders, as well as to develop potent therapeutics to cure these diseases.


Maintaining these academic collaborations is essential in ensuring the success of the Institute. I am also very grateful to those who help in supporting our cause. Our team has decades of experience and we are dedicated to developing cures for those with neurological disorders and malignancies.

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Lab Notes

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Additional Information

This project supports a new model for funding scientific discovery. I have worked with many postdocs and junior faculty members. The academic funding is increasingly becoming harder to achieve, and those investigators require innovative options to fund their scientific research.

I have interacted with numerous investigators at institutions around the US, and many support the idea of crowd-funded science, even mentioning they would directly fund the project with their own funds if the project was posted to a crowdfunding site. I do believe there is a growing need for this type of funding approach, and that this will be the model of the future. Therefore, to make this project more fun and exciting for donors, each donor gets to observe the result of the project and give feedback on how to make the project stronger.

My company is founded on these principles, in the hope that others will support this project, and our cause to end brain cancer.


Let's End This !


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