Scientists Led by Mount Sinai and Sema4 Identify Biomarker for Progression and Drug Response in Brain Cancer
Accurately subtyping glioblastoma tumors could lead to diagnostics and precision therapy
Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Sema4, and collaborating institutions including Colorado State University and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center reported results today from a glioblastoma study in which they validated a biomarker indicative of a patient’s prognosis and likely response to specific therapies. The article appeared in the October 15 issue of Cancer Research.
Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive and heterogeneous form of brain cancer, with a median survival time from diagnosis of just one year. Previous efforts to classify glioblastoma tumors into molecular subtypes for precision treatment have been largely unsuccessful. In this study, scientists developed an innovative computational method to classify tumors based on their dependency on a molecule, known as BUB1B, that some glioblastomas need to survive. The project revealed new tumor subtypes and found that BUB1B-sensitive tumors had significantly worse prognosis but were more likely to respond to many drugs already in clinical use.
“It was truly remarkable to see our predictive model yield a new set of molecular subtypes, which appear to be far more indicative of prognosis and therapeutic response than existing subtypes,” said Jun Zhu, PhD, Head of Data Sciences at Sema4, Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at Mount Sinai, and senior author of the paper. “For patients who receive the grim diagnosis of glioblastoma, this signals new hope for tailored treatment more likely to be effective against their cancer.”
“This research is an outstanding example of how theoreticians working with complex datasets, and clinicians on the frontlines of patient care, can collaborate to uncover new insights into cancer biology that will directly impact clinical decision-making,” said Raymund Yong, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Assistant Professor of Oncological Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who made a significant contribution to tumor samples, glioma stem cells, and in vitro experiments in the paper.
Eric Schadt, PhD, Sema4 CEO and Dean for Precision Medicine at Mount Sinai, added: “These findings underscore the significant potential we see to improve patient outcomes by investing in predictive modeling of even the most complex types of cancer. We look forward to building on this collaborative project and moving toward development of a diagnostic test that could help physicians better understand and treat their patients’ glioblastoma cases.”
Paper cited: Lee E et al. Sensitivity to BUB1B inhibition defines an alternative classification of glioblastoma. Cancer Research, doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-17-0736
About the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is an international leader in medical and scientific training, biomedical research, and patient care. It is the medical school for the Mount Sinai Health System, an integrated health care system which includes seven hospitals and an expanding ambulatory network serving approximately 4 million patients per year.
The School has more than 1,800 students in MD, PhD, and Master’s programs and post-doctoral fellowships; more than 5,600 faculty members; over 2,000 residents and fellows; and 23 clinical and research institutes and 34 academic departments. It is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per principal investigator. The School was the first medical school in the country to create a progressive admissions approach for students who seek early assurance of admission through the FlexMed program. For more information, visit http://icahn.mssm.edu or find the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
About Sema4
Sema4 is a next-generation health information company, spun out of the Mount Sinai Health System, that provides advanced genomic testing and merges big data analytics with clinical diagnostics. Our team creates practical tools that help patients, clinicians, and researchers better diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. We are striving to construct a more comprehensive picture of health by integrating three key elements: a wealth of clinical experience that informs the answers that patients and providers are seeking, the world-class academic research that illuminates new directions, and the pioneering information science that puts all the pieces together.
For more information, please visit sema4genomics.com and connect with Sema4 on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
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About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across eight hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 11 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2024-2025.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.