V. Discovered lncRNAs that differentiate aggressive and indolent prostate cancers

Distinguishing between aggressive and indolent prostate cancers is currently performed by invasive biopsies and traditional and imprecise immunohistopathological methods. In an effort to find candidate biomarkers that may be viable for noninvasive tests, e.g. of urine samples, I worked with Dr. David F. Jarrard and his group in the urology department to sequence long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) from patient samples who had aggressive or indolent prostate cancers. We found several dozen lncRNAs that differentiated these prognoses. Four of these were validated with RT-qPCR, including a newly discovered X-linked lncRNA named XPLAID that shows promise as a prognostic biomarker.

Research papers

(1) Cesnik, A. J.; Yang, B.; Truong, A.; Spiniello, M.; Steinbrink, M.; Shortreed, M. R.; Frey, B. L.; Jarrard, D. F.; Smith, L. M. “Long Noncoding RNAs AC009014.3 and Newly Discovered XPLAID Differentiate Aggressive and Indolent Prostate Cancers.” Translational Oncology 2018, 11, 808–814.