MoMar

The “MoMar“ project (molecular markers for early detection of cancer) deals with the development of molecular markers for the early detection of asbestos-related cancer of the lung and pleura and their validation in medical practice. Mesothelioma, a pleural cancer caused by asbestos, constitutes a major occupational health issue owing to its long latency and rising number of cases. Substantial research efforts are therefore still needed. The objective of the prevention study is to validate new molecular markers for early detection in high-risk collectives using a longitudinal design. The markers are determined non-invasively in blood or other body fluids. In addition, the method does not involve radiation exposure for the patient, in contrast to some imaging methods. The markers have the potential to complement radiological methods and may help to reduce radiation exposure. The high-risk collective comprises more than 2,700 workers formerly exposed to asbestos and exhibiting asbestosis, who were recruited from 2008 until 2017 and examined annually over a period of up to ten years.

In contrast to previous approaches, the prospective study of high-risk collectives enables biomarkers for early detection to be evaluated under substantially more realistic conditions for use in medical practice. So far, the proteins calretinin and mesothelin have been validated as tumor markers for the early detection of mesothelioma.

The combined markers are able to detect almost 50% of mesothelioma cases up to a year before classical diagnosis, with only 2% false-positive test results. In the future, the more than 180,000 aliquots of blood and plasma samples that have been stored in a biobank will serve as a valuable source for the validation of other new biomarkers.

Literature:

• Johnen G, Burek K, Raiko I, Wichert K, Pesch B, Weber DG, Lehnert M, Casjens S, Hagemeyer O, Taeger D, Brüning T & MoMar Stduy Group. Prediagnostic detection of mesothelioma by circulating calretinin and mesothelin – a case-control comparison nested into a prospective cohort of asbestos-exposed workers. Sci Rep. 2018 Sep 25; 8:14321. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-32315-3
• Johnen G, Burek K, Raiko I, Wichert K, Pesch B, Weber DG, Lehnert M, Casjens S, Hagemeyer O, Taeger D, Brüning T. Prediagnostic detection of mesothelioma by circulating calretinin and mesothelin - a case-control comparison nested into a prospective cohort of asbestos-exposed workers. Scientific Rep 2018; 1: 14321
• Johnen G, Gawrych K, Raiko I, Casjens S, Pesch B, Weber DG, Taeger D, Lehnert M, Kollmeier J, Bauer T, Musk AW, Robinson BWS, Brüning T, Creaney J, Performance of calretinin as a blood-based biomarker for mesothelioma, BMC Canc 17: 386 (2017)
• Raiko I, Rihs HP, Gleichenhagen J, Sander I, Kollmeier J, Lehnert M, Brüning T, Johnen G, A recombinant polypeptide of the megakaryocyte potentiating factor is a potential biomarker in plasma for the detection of mesothelioma, BBRC 486: 526-532 (2017)
• Weber DG, Gawrych K, Casjens S, Brik A, Lehnert M, Taeger D, Pesch B, Kollmeier J, Bauer TT, Johnen G, Brüning T, Circulating miR-132-3p as a candidate diagnostic biomarker for malignant mesothelioma, Disease Markers 2017: 9280170 (2017)
• Weber DG, Casjens S, Johnen G, Bryk O, Raiko I, Pesch B, Kollmeier J, Bauer TT, Brüning T, Combination of miR-103a-3p and mesothelin improves the biomarker performance of malignant mesothelioma diagnosis, PLoS One 9: e114483 (2014)
• Weber DG, Johnen G, Casjens S, Bryk O, Pesch B, Jöckel KH, Kollmeier J, Brüning T, Long noncoding RNA MALAT1 as a candidate blood-based biomarker for the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer, BMC Res Notes 6: 518 (2013)
• Johnen G, Rozynek P, Brüning T, Epigenetik und Biomarker – Welche Rolle können epigenetische Marker bei der Sekundärprävention spielen? IPA-Journal 03/2013: 20-23 (2013)
• Weber DG, Johnen G, Bryk O, Brüning T, Die zelluläre Blutfraktion als potentielle Quelle für Biomarker – Pilotstudie zur Identifizierung von microRNAs zur Diagnose von malignen Mesotheliomen, Dokumentationsband der 52. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Arbeitsmedizin und Umweltmedizin e.V., DGAUM, Aachen: 215-217 (2012)
• Johnen G, Weber DG, Wiethege T, Pesch B, Brüning T, MoMar – eine prospektive Kohortenstudie und Probenbank zur Validierung von Tumormarkern, Arbeitsmed Sozialmed Umweltmed 47: 204 (2012)
• Weber DG, Johnen G, Bryk O, Jöckel KH, Brüning T, Identification of miRNA-103 in the cellular fraction of human peripheral blood as a potential biomarker for malignant mesothelioma – a pilot study, PLoS One 7: e30221 (2012)
• Johnen G, Raiko I, Sander I, Weber DG, Raulf-Heimsoth M, Kollmeier J, Gillissen A, Scherpereel A, Müller KM, Brüning T, Calretinin – ein vielversprechender Biomarker für die Bestimmung von Mesotheliomen in Blutproben von Asbest-Exponierten, IPA-Journal 02/2011: 22-25 (2011)
• Johnen G, Raiko I, Sander I, Weber DG, Raulf-Heimsoth M, Gillissen A, Kollmeier J, Mü,;ller KM, Scherpereel A, Brüning T, Calretinin-ELISA – ein neuer Assay für die Detektion von Mesotheliomen in Blutproben, Dokumentationsband der 51. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Arbeitsmedizin und Umweltmedizin e.V., DGAUM, Aachen: 676-678 (2011)
• Raiko I, Sander I, Weber DG, Raulf-Heimsoth M, Gillissen A, Kollmeier J, Scherpereel A, Brüning T, Johnen G, Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of human calretinin in plasma and serum of mesothelioma patients, BMC Cancer 10: 242 (2010)