In breast cancer, patients that experiment an early recurrence (less than 2 years after diagnosis) are related to a more aggressive tumour, with fewer therapeutic options and a more discouraging prognosis.
The present invention provides a method for predicting the risk of early (<2 years) recurrence after primary surgery in breast cancer patients using the expression signature of a set of five miRNAs. This technology brings numerous benefits, as it allows the tracking of patients with high early-recurrence risk, facilitating quicker diagnosis, which should translate into better prognosis and survival rates for these patients. Furthermore, the samples needed for this method come from the initial tumour biopsy, and it can be measured using current technologies such as microarrays, RT qPCR or any other suitable multiplex assay.
This molecular signature was identified using samples of a group of 75 patients with breast cancer, which were subjected to surgery to remove the primary tumour. The main inventors are Dr. José Lozano (UMA), and Dr. Emilio Alba (UMA and HUVV), the group has an extensive experience in both basic (oncogenic cell signaling) and applied (clinical assays) cancer research, having published highly cited papers in top-ranked journals. This innovation is protected through a granted patent application in the US and most EU countries, with priority date 2014-03-13. The represented University is looking for a collaboration that leads to a commercial exploitation of the presented invention.
Institution: Universidad de Málaga
TRL: 2-3
Protection status: Granted patent
Contact: Vicente Barberá / vicente@viromii.com
