David M. Albala, MD, presented “Live-Primary Cell Phenotypic Biomarkers and Prostate Cancer Prognosis” during the 29th Annual International Prostate Cancer Update on January 24, 2019 in Beaver Creek, Colorado.
How to cite: Albala, David M. “Live-Primary Cell Phenotypic Biomarkers and Prostate Cancer Prognosis” January 24, 2019. Accessed Jul 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/live-primary-cell-phenotypic-biomarkers-and-prostate-cancer-prognosis/
Live-Primary Cell Phenotypic Biomarkers and Prostate Cancer Prognosis
David M. Albala, MD, emphasizes the need for improved prostate cancer diagnostics to allow for better risk-stratification and guidance of personalized treatment. He then reviews findings from an analytical validation study of live-primary cell phenotypic biomarker-based diagnostic assay with the potential to address this need.
Abstract:
Due to inconsistencies in existing molecular, genomic, and pathophysiologic markers for patient risk-stratification, effective prostate cancer diagnostics and treatment remains a challenge in clinical practice. Therefore, the development of a diagnostic platform that differentiates cancer patients who have clinically significant disease from those who have a low-risk of progression is an important area of interest.
To address this issue, a diagnostic platform was tested that combines a scalable microfluidic device, enabling an automated live cell assay. This assay measures phenotypic biomarkers (as defined here as functional biophysical and molecular biomarkers) via objective machine vision algorithms to evaluate both local invasive and metastatic potential of prostate cancer.
An analytical validation study was performed on fresh prostate cancer samples (n=238) obtained at the time of radical prostatectomy (RP). The diagnostic platform enables: 1) growth of patient cells ex vivo on extracellular matrix formulations supporting adhesion/survival for 72 hours post biopsy; 2) high-throughput imaging of multiple phenotypic biomarkers such as morphology, cytoskeleton dynamics, and protein subcellular localization & modification states; and 3) objective quantification of biomarkers via machine vision analysis. The study imaged patient samples over a three-hour period, capturing live-cell biophysical biomarkers. After three hours, cells were fixed and stained for molecular biomarkers. Machine vision technology was then utilized to analyze phenotypic biomarkers to yield specific metrics that correlated with RP specimen pathologic findings.
Predictive scores for the risk stratification of 238 prostate cancer patients, with values for area under the curve in receiver-operating-characteristic curves surpassing 80%, support the validation of the assay and its potential clinical applicability for the prognosis and risk-stratification of prostate cancer patients.
About the International Prostate Cancer Update
The International Prostate Cancer Update (IPCU) is an annual, multi-day CME conference focused on prostate cancer treatment updates. The conference’s faculty consists of international experts, and the event caters to urologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and other healthcare professionals. Topics encompass prostate cancer management, from diagnosis to treating advanced and metastatic disease. Dr. Albala presented this lecture during the 29th IPCU in 2019. Please visit this page in order to learn more about future IPCU meetings.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David M. Albala, MD, graduated with a geology degree from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. He completed his medical school training at Michigan State University and went on to complete his surgical residency at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Following this, Dr. Albala was an endourology fellow at Washington University Medical Center under the direction of Ralph V. Clayman. He practiced at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago and rose from the ranks of Instructor toProfessor in Urology and Radiology in eight years. Ten years later, he became a tenured Professor at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. At Duke, he was Co-Director of the Endourology Fellowship and Director for the Center of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Urological Surgery. He has over 247 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has authored three textbooks in endourology and seven in general urology. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Robotic Surgery. Dr. Albala serves on the editorial board for Medical Reviews in Urology, Current Opinions in Urology, and Urology Index and Reviews. He serves as a reviewer for eight surgical journals. He is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Urology at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. In addition, he was ranked among the top 2% of urologists in the world by a Stanford University study done in May 2021.
At the present time, Dr. Albala is Chief of Urology at Crouse Hospital and a member of Associated Medical Professionals in Syracuse, New York. He is considered a national and international authority in laparoscopic and robotic urological surgery and has been an active teacher in this area for over 20 years. His research and clinical interests have focused on robotic urological surgery. His other clinical interests include minimally invasive treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), biomarkers in prostate cancer, and the use of fibrin sealants in surgery. He has been a Visiting Professor at numerous institutions across the United States as well internationally in multiple countries including India, China, Iceland, Germany, France, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and Singapore. In addition, he has done operative demonstrations in over 32 countries and 23 states. He has trained 19 fellows in endourology and advanced robotic surgery.
In addition, Dr. Albala is a past White House Fellow who acted as a special assistant to Federico Pena, Secretary of Transportation, on classified and unclassified public health related issues.
