Scientists of the RAACC of AltSU develop the method to identify predisposition to cancer recurrence and metastases

Scientists at the RAACC developed an immunosignature for breast cancer back in 2015, and to date they have already worked out a unique method for detecting breast cancer at an early stage. Now, according to Andrei Shapoval, Director of the Russian-American Anti-Cancer Center of Altai State University, they have begun to form groups of blood plasma samples obtained from patients for the next stage of work.

"For six years, we have been collecting blood serum samples from patients at the Cancer Treatment Center - this is about 600 blood samples from breast cancer patients and 200 of so-called healthy ones. And among those who have had cancer, there are people who have relapsed and those who are doing well. Now we are planning to check whether their immunosignatures were different before treatment or not. That is, we plan to find out whether the immunosignature shows a predisposition to a cancer recurrence or metastases", explains the project manager.

According to Andrei Shapoval, the main question of this working stage of the RAACC of Altai State University is whether scientists will identify an immunosignature corresponding to a favorable or unfavorable course of the disease during the research.

“Currently, we have a database of about 800 patients of the Cancer Treatment Center Nadezhda. The doctors thoroughly study the clinical record of each patient in order to form a group of patients with a relapse of the disease. We plan that in November we will be able to test this group of people”, - says Andrey Shapoval. “At the Cancer Treatment Center, we have formed a biobank where the blood plasma of cancer patients who agreed to take part in the study is stored. Thus, we have to test samples of all patients included in the group, and identify the immunosignature corresponding to a favorable or unfavorable course of the disease".

It is worth noting that the project of the Russian-American Anti-Cancer Center is one of the strategic development projects of Altai State University. High appraisal and support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the National Institute of Oncology (US) confirms the urgency and importance of this area.

Research of the RAACC’s scientists are carried out in a scientific consortium, in which, in addition to the flagship university of Altai Krai, scientists and specialists from the Altai Regional Cancer Treatment Centre Nadezhda and the Altai State Medical University take an active part.