Development and Application of Mass Spectrometry Imaging to Tissue Biomarker Discovery

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In this research program, we propose to develop and apply mass spectrometric (MS) tools in the discovery and validation of cancer biomarkers. We will initiate the project using oral cavity cancer samples since it has high clinical relevance (30 percent of the head and neck region cancers occur in the oral cavity). Our initial studies are designed to chemically map different types of compounds, mostly lipids, within tissue samples. We will be able to highlight the differences in lipid profiles and their relative intensities between normal and cancer tissue by the application of specific statistics tools. We will identify the most characterising molecules and develop multivariate models to identify cancer tissues in patient samples. After identification of potential biomarkers, we will validate the findings with metabolomic tools and develop targeted MS technologies to enhance the detection of biomarkers present in low abundance in complex biological tissue samples. The proposed research will develop diagnostic technologies that are more sensitive and accurate than those currently in use. These technologies will be used in the early detection of cancers and in prognostic studies to identify patients with high potential to cancer recurrence or drug response studies to predict patient response to specific treatments. Since early disease detection and intervention are critical to reducing health care costs and improving patient outcomes, the development of clinical mass spectrometry will have significant economic impact on the healthcare system.