Candidate biomarkers selection of human oral cancer by mass spectrometry coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography

• Grant number: 19/22663-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: January 01, 2021
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Andréia Machado Leopoldino
• Grantee: Jovelina Samara Ferreira Alves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 16/19103-2 - SET and sphingolipids in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: signaling, targets and antiumoral therapy, AP.TEM

Abstract

Cancer biomarkers discovery are essential for diagnosis, prognosis and personalized cancer therapy personalized cancer therapy. The oral cancer is a worldwide health problem with high recurrence and mortality. In Brazil, there are about 15,000 new cases estimated for 2020. Diagnosis, prognosis and treatment are still currently performed based on traditional staging, without the application of biomolecular biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis. Although 90% of these lesions are squamous cell carcinoma type, there is still no classification of neoplastic subtypes due to the absence of molecular biomarkers, making individualization of therapy a challenge for oncologists. The present proposal aims to perform a study to characterize the metabolic profile, more carefully to sphingolipids of patients with oral cancer by mass spectrometry coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (LC-MS/MS), to select candidate cancer biomarkers. Therefore, human biological samples such as plasma, saliva, cytology obtained by brushing and oral tumor tissue from patients, and plasma and saliva of controls; as cytological and tissue sample controls, samples from the cancer-free contralateral region of the patients will be used. The screening and selection of biomarkers will be performed by univariate and multivariate statistical analyzes of correlation of metabolic and sphingolipidic profiles, clinical-pathological data of patients vs controls. Finally, it is expected to define the biological sample indicated for identification of biomarkers, preferably obtained by non-invasive technique, for diagnosis and prognosis of oral cancer, using a rapid analysis method by LC-MS/MS. This study has great impact and relevance, since it will direct new proposals for the further development of biomolecular diagnostic and prognostic tests and personalized therapy by monitoring oral cancer biomarkers, and it can have an impact on patient survival. Furthermore, this proposal is linked to the Thematic Project that has subprojects directed to the study of sphingolipids in oral cancer, which will allow the integration of mass spectrometry data of this proposal with other biological and molecular data from Thematic Project.