(back to 2007 CIPA Winners)
National Research Council Canada - Institute for Information Technology
New Strategy for Gene Expression-Based Biomarker Discovery
Information Technology Promises to Transform Cancer Diagnosis
Challenge
In the human body, a cell's genes exhibit different characteristics within a strand of DNA if they are diseased than if they are healthy. Certain combinations of these characteristics - called biomarkers - are indicators of risk for various types of cancer. Medical scientists can examine tissues under powerful microscopes and with computer-generated data can see how the genes are "expressing," and use this data for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
With 30,000 human genes in any one tissue, however, examining how each gene expresses itself and whether it has changed behaviour in the presence of cancer generates a mind-boggling amount of data. For example, if a researcher has 100 samples, that generates three million data points. Analysis is difficult and costly.
The National Research Council Canada - Institute for Information Technology (NRC-IIT) set out to solve this problem by creating a technology to aid in faster, less expensive and more accurate gene-expression biomarker discovery. With labs in Ottawa, Fredericton and Gatineau, Quebec, NRC-IIT conducts scientific research, develops technology, creates knowledge and supports innovation as one of the National Research Council's 20 research institutes and national programs.
Solution
Dr. Nabil Belacel, lead research officer with NRC-IIT's Health Initiative research group in Fredericton, developed a technology that makes it possible to analyze medical data accurately and cost-effectively.
The solution consists of software that uses a mathematical model, or algorithm, to sort through the huge amount of data produced in gene-expression biopsy samples and classify the data according to multiple criteria.
In 2003, Dr. Belacel approached doctors at the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute (ACRI) to see if his technology could be adapted to improve cancer diagnosis, specifically in identifying the unique biomarkers for prostate and colon cancer. ACRI, in collaboration with NRC-IIT, used DNA micro-array technology to validate that it could.
By applying the analytical software, researchers were able to identify a series of patterns involving eight genes occurring in DNA strands - a "marker panel" --that reveals the presence of prostate cancer tumours.
NRC-IIT holds jointly with ACRI a patent on these biomarkers for prostate cancer and has applied the same technology to identify colon-cancer biomarkers, for which a patent is pending.
Results
The biomarkers found by NRC-IIT and ACRI researchers identify prostate cancer tumours in tissue with 96-per-cent accuracy.
This represents a dramatic improvement from the most widely used current test for prostate cancer, a blood test known as PSA (prostate-specific antigen), which has been found to be inaccurate in 70 to 75 per cent of cases.
The increase in efficiency and accuracy by the NRC-IIT technology promises to improve the effectiveness of core needle biopsy tests when supported by the technology. It may ultimately contribute to a decrease in the number of lives lost to prostate cancer, which kills 4,200 Canadians a year.
Detecting biomarkers specific to a disease can aid in the identification, diagnosis and treatment of people who may be at risk but do not yet exhibit symptoms. The discovery of biomarkers unique to prostate cancer could translate into faster turn-around times, lessening of patients' discomfort and risk, and significant cost savings in healthcare.
The potential worldwide market for this technology is $4.5 billion (US) annually for prostate cancer alone. The next step will be large-scale testing and validation of results.
The technology shows potential for application across a spectrum of diseases. To expand the research to identify more biomarkers in future, NRC-IIT has become a founding partner of the Cancer Populomix Institute, which will be based in Fredericton.
Innovative Use of Technology
The achievement by Dr. Belacel to apply a mathematical model to sort through medical data was a first in its field. Now, the discovery of a technique to accurately identify specific cancer biomarkers could transform the way that malignancies are categorized and treated so that treatment is not based on symptoms or the location of the disease but rather on the underlying genetic causes of the disease.
This innovation in tumour classification and analysis, which applies information technology to solve medical problems, is significant not only for Canadians but for the world.
A 2007 CIPA Winner!
For its exceptional application of information technology to transform medical processes and bring potential benefits to people everywhere, the National Research Council Canada - Institute for Information Technology has been awarded a 2007 CIPA Gold Award of Excellence in the Innovation, Not For Profit category.
Technology partners
Atlantic Cancer Research Institute
(back to top)
