Invention:
The technology is a prognostic cancer gene assay for lung and breast cancer that utilizes a new biomarker. The technology fills a current need for better prognosis tools for triple negative breast cancer tumors and provides a new discovery in gene expression profiling.
Background:
This biomarker, NAMPT (nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase), is a novel oncogene responsible for the biosynthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential molecule involved in metabolism. There are an estimated 184,450 new cases of breast cancer and 215,020 new cases of lung cancers since 2008. Breast cancer is classified as estrogen/progesterone receptor positive, HER2 positive, triple negative, or triple positive. For example, if the breast cancer was estrogen receptor positive, treatment of choice is endocrine therapies such as tamoxifen, which blocks estrogen receptor on breast cancer cells.
Applications:
- The invention could be easily integrated into laboratories for clinicians to determine the type of cancer and treatment
- The invention could best be used as a prognostic cancer gene assay
- NAMPT can be another alternative gene signature for lung cancer
Advantages:
- The technology fills a current need for better prognosis tools for triple negative breast cancer tumors through NAMPT
- The technology provides a new discovery in gene expression profiling
Status: issued U.S. patent #10,633,710
