Early detection of pancreatic cancer: Study design and analytical considerations in biomarker discovery and early phase validation studies.

Objectives: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal disease that is challenging to detect at an early stage. Biomarkers are needed that can detect PDAC early in the course of disease when interventions lead to the best outcomes. We highlight study design and statistical considerations that inform pancreatic cancer early detection biomarker evaluation.

Specific analysis of SOD1 enzymatic activity in CSF from ALS patients with and without SOD1 mutations.

Mutations in superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) are a cause of hereditary amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) through a gain-of-function mechanism involving unfolded mutant SOD1. Intrathecal gene therapy using the antisense-oligo-nucleotide drug tofersen to reduce SOD1 expression delays disease progression and has recently been approved in the United States and the European Union. However, the discovery of children homozygous for inactivating SOD1 mutations developing the SOD1 Deficiency Syndrome (ISODDES) with injury to the motor system suggests that a too low SOD1 antioxidant activity may be deleterious in humans.

Identify Non-mutational p53 Functional Deficiency in Human Cancers.

An accurate assessment of p53's functional statuses is critical for cancer genomic medicine. However, there is a significant challenge in identifying tumors with non-mutational p53 inactivation which is not detectable through DNA sequencing. These undetected cases are often misclassified as p53-normal, leading to inaccurate prognosis and downstream association analyses.