The Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center will host a Zoom Seminar at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26 featuring Dr. Andrew K. Godwin of the Kansas University Medical System, who will discuss liquid biopsies and extracellular vesicles in the detection of cancer.

Pathological analysis of tumor tissue biopsies is the gold standard for the initial diagnosis of cancer. However, recent liquid biopsies, which analyze tumor-derived material circulating in the bloodstream and other bodily fluids, are rapidly gaining clinical traction. These tests offer considerable potential in oncology, which includes early detection, monitoring response to treatment and disease recurrence. Liquid biopsy biomarkers include circulating tumor cells, cell-free DNA, and extracellular vesicles (EVs). Regarding the latter, electric vehicles show great promise as circulating biomarkers. At the center of the EVs are nano-sized (40-150 nm) vesicles of endocytic origin, also called small EVs/exosomes, which are produced and released by most cell types under normal physiological conditions and in pathological states. sEVs carry cargo representative of their cell of origin, including nucleic acids, cytokines, membrane-bound receptors, and a wide assortment of other biologically active lipids and proteins. Since sEVs/exosomes travel systemically throughout the body, efforts are underway to exploit them as potential biomarkers to detect and monitor disease states. Ways to exploit sEVs for cancer diagnosis will be discussed.

Godwin is a leader in the field of translational research and precision medicine for cancer. He has dedicated his scientific career to improving the care of cancer patients. He is a Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Director of the Division of Genomic Diagnostics, and Director of Molecular Oncology at KU Medical Center and KU Health System, respectively. Godwin was recruited to KU Medical Center and Cancer Center in October 2010 after 26 productive years at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, and his committed participation contributed to NCI designation in 2012, which led to him being named Deputy Director in 2013.

He is the founding director of the Kansas Institute for Precision Medicine and has received numerous scientific and academic awards, including the 2020 Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Award in Biomedical Sciences – the most prestigious recognition in the state’s higher education system. for academic excellence. His research program continues to focus on various aspects of basic and translational research, with an emphasis on early cancer detection, predictive and prognostic biomarkers, extracellular vesicle-based liquid biopsies, molecular therapeutics, companion diagnostics, clinical trials, cellular therapeutics, cancer. immune microenvironment and determination of biological samples.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Kimberley Fuller at [email protected]

This event is supported by the National Institutes of Health NIGMS under award number P20GM139768. The content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.