Liquid Biopsy Program at the Molecular Oncology Laboratory of the Barcelona Children's Hospital Sant Joan de Dèu.
OBJECTIVE
Implement in all its phases a non-invasive diagnostic test to detect tumor cells, proteins or fragments of genetic material circulating in blood or other body fluids, which may contain relevant information about the genetic and molecular characteristics of the tumor.
RELEVANCE
It is a promising tool that allows tumor diagnosis, treatment monitoring, early detection and identification of relapses in a less invasive way than traditional tissue biopsies. It allows precise and targeted analysis of mutations in plasma, serum and cerebrospinal fluid, and is of particular interest for patients where surgery to obtain the sample to be analyzed is very difficult.
STATUS AND SCOPE
ACTIVE.
The program is developed at the Laboratory of Molecular Oncology of the Barcelona Children's Hospital Sant Joan de Déu.
PROJECT START: 2025
BUDGET
30,000 PER YEAR
Noelia Salvador Marcos, PhD in Molecular Biology at the Research Laboratory of Barcelona Children's Hospital Sant Joan de Déu.
"Liquid biopsy is a non-invasive diagnostic test that through the genetic study of body fluids (usually blood) allows us to study relevant information about the molecular characteristics of our patients' tumors."
Asociación Anita signs a new agreement to fund more resources to promote liquid biopsy studies on pediatric tumors in the Molecular Oncology Laboratory of the PCCB.
The Molecular Oncology Laboratory of the PCCB, Barcelona Children's Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, is a laboratory specialized in the molecular diagnosis of pediatric solid tumors and the prediction of their prognosis, based on biomarkers and molecular monitoring of the clinical evolution of the disease.
The objective of this laboratory is to respond to the specific molecular analysis needs for each tumor, in order to individualize the therapy of patients according to the genetic characteristics of the tumor.
Within the framework of the PCCB's Precision Pediatric Oncology Project (POPP), the Molecular Oncology Laboratory works in coordination with the Oncology Research Laboratory, the Pediatric Oncology team and the Anatomic Pathology service to give a full name to the tumor detected and to define the most appropriate treatment at each stage of its evolution.
In order to further advance its analytical capabilities, the laboratory will implement new mass sequencing studies in liquid biopsy in its research.
Thanks to the collaboration of Asociación Anita , the laboratory is designing a customized panel to analyze genes relevant to the diagnosis and monitoring of pediatric tumors.
As with the M371 TEST-GTC Pediatric Biomarker project, also currently active in this same laboratory, this new agreement is signed with the Fundació de Recerca Sant Joan de Dèu.
Liquid biopsy has become a potentially exceptional tool for spatiotemporal studies of cancer dynamics as well as for accurate disease monitoring.
Instead of obtaining a tissue sample directly from the tumor with surgery as in traditional biopsy, the analysis of markers in blood or cerebrospinal fluid allows us to identify genetic alterations important both for establishing the diagnosis of a tumor and for monitoring the response during treatment in a minimally invasive manner. In this way, information can be obtained without the need of invasive procedures.
Liquid biopsy is even more necessary for patients with tumors that are inaccessible with surgery, due to their location. A technology that allows precise analysis of mutations in the fluids of these patients is key to advancing their cure.