Cancer PCR Array Primer Libraries

Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy of the urinary tract and is observed in frequently worldwide. Though somewhat responsive to chemotherapy, recurrence is common in70% of cases resulting in metastasis. Both genetic and non-genetic factors such as smoking and drinking water quality are assoicated with the onset of bladder cancer. Bladder cancer may be broadly subdivided into two groups: muscle invasive (25%) and muscle non-invasive (75%) types. A variety of surgical, radiation and chemotherapeutic modalities are used for treatement of this disease. At the molecular level, bladder carcinogenesis has been associated with mutations or dysfunction in FGFR3 and/or TP53 signaling. Such pathways include cell cycle, apoptosis and angiogenesis. More recently, however, a variety of new biomarkers and pathways have been implicated in the carinogenesis of bladder cancer. The Human Bladder Cancer PCR Primer Library contains primer sets that amplify genes that have been associated with bladder cancer carcinogenesis and also includes biomarkers associated with the disease.

Brain cancer represents a group of benign and malignant neoplasms arising from neural tissue. The most common types are glioblastoma, astrocytoma and meningiomas. Medulloblastomas occur in children. Overall 5-year survival rate for this class of disease in 33%. The molecular basis for brain cancers is largely unknown and may involve dysregulated RTK signaling pathways and mutations occurring in key oncogenes. A number of biomarkers have been identified, but there overall usefulness in diagnosis and prognosis remains an active area of investigation. The Human Brain Cancer PCR Primer Library contains primer sets designed to amplify the components of key signaling pathways and biomarkers associated with brain cancers.

The identification of the genes that are responsible for cancer initiation and progression has been challenging. Such cancer driver genes have been identified predominantly by identifying mutations in tumor specimens. To date, there are a few hundred candidate cancer driver genes. The Human Cancer Drive Gene PCR Primer Libraries listed below contain real time PCR primer sets to amplify some of these putative genes.

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Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the western world. Most colon cancers are sporadic in nature and often associated with diet, tobacco and alcohol cosumption, however, other genetic and pre-existing bowel syndromes may increase risk. A number of putative oncogenes and signaling pathways are dysregulated in colon cancer. These include p53 and KRAS as examples and aberrant signaling activity of pathways such as WNT, NOTCH, BMP, Hedgehog and the proteins involved in mismatch repair. Treatment for colon cancer involves surgery and chemotherapy and its success depends, in part, on the stage of the disease. Current efforts have focused on understanding the molecular basis for colon cancer carcinogenesis so that individualized treatments may be designed and utilized more effectively. However, resistance to these new targeted agents as well as cytotoxic chemotherapy remains a problem in treatment outcome. Drug resistance mechanisms can enable colorectal cancer cells to survive treament with fluorpyrimidines, irinotecan, oxaliplatin, bevacizumab and other commonly used drugs. The Human Colon Cancer Libraries I and II provide primer sets to generate PCR Arrays to analyze putative colon cancer biomarkers, genes involved in colon cancer carcinogenesis (HCCP-I) and genes that are associated with the drugs used in treatment of this disease (HCCP-II).

Gastric cancer represents a significant health problem worldwide despite its declining incidence. Gastric cancer is usually diagnosed in advanced stages and is assoicated with a poor prognosis. Understanding the molecular basis for gastric cancer has been slow relative to other cancers and is imperative in order to guide the development of prevention and treatment strategies. A variety of genetic changes in oncogenes and other key signaling mediators have been discovered and modern genomics has identified differentially expressed genes that may be useful as biomarkers to monitor the progession of disease and perhaps identify subsets of patients that may benefit from targeted therapies. The Gastric Cancer Primer Library consists of primer sets that may be used to generate PCR arrays to analyze a number of biomarkers and differentially expressed gastric cancer related genes.

Coming soon...

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Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide afflicting approximately 700,000 people annually. There are several types of primay liver cancer with hepatocellular carcinoma being the most common, often developing from cirrhosis. Hepatocellular carcinomas exhibit substantial heterogeneity, which compounds the difficulties in developing effective therapies against this highly lethal cancer. The major oncogenic pathways involved in hepatocellular carcinoma are PI3K-Akt, myc, Wnt/β-catenin, c-Met, and hedgehog signaling pathways. Despite some advances in this field, the molecular pathology of hepatocellular carcinoma remains an active area of investigation. The Liver Cancer Primer Library contains primer sets for PCR arrays that amplify genes associated with liver cancer carcinogenesis and progression.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. The two main types of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (approx. 80%) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) (approx. 20%) exhibit differing histological, clinical and neuroendocrine characteristics. Lung cancer carcinogenesis is a multi-step process involving genetic and epigenetic alterations resulting in the transformation of normal lung epithelial cells. A number of mutations have been identified in putative oncogenes including EGFR and KRAS and these have led to the design and implementation of new targeted therapies for lung cancer. In addition, genomic analyses have identified aberrant signaling pathways and biomarkers that may be useful for improving lung cancer diagnosis, prognosis and patient selection for therapy. The Lung Cancer PCR Primer Library consists of a collection of primer sets to amplify key biomarkers and signaling pathway genes that are associated with lung cancer carcinogenesis.

Melanoma is a significant health problem worldwide, especially in countries with a large, fair-skinned population.   In many Western countries, both the incidence and mortality rates are rising. Therefore, improved diagnosis and treatment regimens at an early clinical stage are necessary to improve outcome. Currently, the histological and clinical factors used for diagnosis of melanoma are of limited use. New biomarkers or gene signatures could provide additional prognostic information based and shed light on the molecular mechanisms of transformation and disease progression. This is evidenced by the discovery of a significant effect of targeted inhibition of BRAF has on the clinical course of metastatic melanoma. The Melanoma PCR Primer Library contains a primer sets that amplify putative biomarkers and genes associated with dysregulated signaling in melanoma.

Ovarian cancer is newly diagnosed in approximately 25,000 women annually in the United States. It is the fourth leading cause of death from cancer among women and is the most fatal gynecologic malignancy. The overall five-year survival rate is approximately 35%. A fraction (1/5) of ovarian cancers are known to be hereditary and associated with mutations in the BRCA1/2 genes. There is much less known about the genes and pathways that result in sporadic ovarian cancer carcinogenesis. The human ovarian cancer primer library contains primer sets that amplify genes that have been implicated in the carcinogenesis of this disease.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Approximately 40,000 will be diagnosed and 37,000 patients will die of pancreatic cancer annually. The most common pancreatic cancers are pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas which are associated with a 5-year survival rate of 20% and for those with metastatic disease, the survival rate is only 2%. Poor survival is attributed to higher stage at the time of diagnosis and most pancreatic cancer patients present with unresectable disease. Genomic studies of pancreatic cancer have revealed that development of the disease is due to both genetic and epigenetic changes and genome-wide screening has identified a number of genes linked to pancreatic cancer. The Pancreatic Cancer Cell Library consists of primer sets designed to amplify genes that have been shown to be mutated or differentially expressed in pancreatic cancer. This library may be used to set up PCR arrays to readily analyze gene expression in this disease.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men. Prostate cancers range from a benign, indolent form to a very aggressive, metastatic type. Understanding the molecular basis for prostate cancer carcinogenesis and response to therapy is an important area of investigation. Currently, the biomarkers for prostate cancer, in particular, PSA (KLK3) are not adequate to accurately diagnose and predict outcome. Thus, new biomarkers are needed for prostate cancer. Some insight may be gained into the dysregulated pathways that are present in prostate cancer including the androgen receptor pathway, PI3K signaling, translocations involving androgen responsive promoter TMPRSS2, and loss of function of the prostate tumor suppressor NKX3-1.  The Human Prostate Cancer PCR Primer Library contains primer sets that amplify genes that have been associated with prostate cancer carcinogenesis and also includes biomarkers associated with the disease. This primer library may be used to generate real time PCR arrays for the analysis of prostate cancer gene expression.