Partnership to Develop new Biomarkers for Lung Cancer

The University of Manchester has signed a collaboration agreement with Abcodia to perform proteomics studies on a cohort of non-small cell lung cancer cases from the UKCTOCS biobank, with the aim of discovering new blood-based biomarkers for earlier detection of the disease.

The group at Manchester, led by Professor Tony Whetton, Professor of Cancer Cell Biology and Director of the Stoller Biomarker Discovery Centre and the Manchester Precision Medicine Institute, plus Dr Phil Crosbie, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at the Northwest Lung Centre and senior clinical lecturer at The University of Manchester, will utilise longitudinal pre-diagnosis serum samples from the UKCTOCS biobank to find markers that elevate early, before clinical presentation with symptoms.

Lung cancer is the UK’s leading cancer killer, with nearly 35,000 people dying each year from the disease. Of the 44,500 people diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK each year, only half will still be alive after six months. However, when diagnosed at its earliest stages, up to 73% of non-small cell lung cancer patients will survive for five years or more.

Dr Wendy Alderton, CSO of Abcodia said: “The University of Manchester is a world leading centre for proteomics and we are excited by the opportunity to work with them on discovering new biomarkers for lung cancer using their SWATH mass spectrometry technology. By combining Abcodia’s expertise in developing tests for the earlier detection of cancer and Manchester’s biomarker discovery skills, we hope to make significant progress in detecting this devastating disease.”

Professor Tony Whetton at The University of Manchester said: “The UKCTOCS sample collection is unique and the opportunity to work with Abcodia further is really exciting to us. We have attracted major funding for biomarker discovery, but you need a great sample collection to make a difference.”