Dr. Eric Haura on New Biomarker Assay System for Lung Cancer

Eric Haura, MD, senior member, Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses new approaches to identifying bypass signaling mechanisms and biomarkers in lung cancer.

Proteins encoded by genes don’t work in isolation, but they work as part of larger molecular machines, explained Haura. He and his colleagues have developed a biomarker assay system that can visualize and quantify those molecular machines. The technology is currently focused in lung cancer, but can be applied to many other tumor types.

The assay can visualize the acquisition of bypass signaling mechanisms that can cause tumors to escape targeted drugs.

This technology could be placed in diagnostic laboratories and eventually guide clinicians on how to make drug management decisions, says Haura.