Project Title: Bronchoalveolar lavage extracellular vesicle miRNA profile add-on value to extensive clinical and genetic biomarker data in the early diagnosis of lung cancer

Project No: lzp-2022/1-0410

Period: 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2026

Project costs: 300 000, 00 EUR

Coordinator: University of Latvia (Alvils Krams)

Principle Investigator BMC: Dr.biol. Artūrs Ābols

Summary

Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Every year in Latvia around 1100 patients are diagnosed with lung cancer and approximately 1000 patients die. Only 25% of lung cancer patients are diagnosed in early stage (I and II), and more than 2/3 die in the first year (Report on cancer statistics in Latvia 2001-2017, CDPC). Therefore, early detection of lung cancer is critical. Early recognition of lung cancer is hampered by the absence of specific symptoms and the lack of a widely recognized cost-effective screening program. Therefore, the aim of this project is to explore use of EV associated miRNAs signature from BAL and plasma as a malignancy biomarker for clinical decision making, in combination with clinical risk factors, genetic data and eventually pave the road towards less invasive lung cancer detection.

Information published 03.04.2023.