Molecular Biosensors for Detection of Bladder Cancer

This project focuses on developing specific and sensitive detectors of biomarker-based signatures associated with diagnosed and recurrent bladder cancer.

The focus of this research is to discover urinary biomarker(s) that is distinct to bladder cancer, while developing molecular sensors that can detect the urinary anomalies. By applying in vitro selection techniques, both entities (biomarker discovery and sensor development) will be done simultaneously. All patients with bladder cancer diagnosis undergoing transurethral resection bladder tumor (TURBT), those under surveillance for bladder cancer and patients presenting with microscopic and visible (gross) hematuria will be invited to participate in the study. Patients will undergo a standard of care evaluation as previously described (upper urinary tract imaging, cystouretheroscopy and urine testing with urinalysis, culture and cytology). Urine samples (10 mL) for the study will be collected prior to initial cystoscopy and/or TURBT. The specimen will be barcoded and tracked by the UC Irvine Health software. Barcode encoding will ensure that the identity of the patient and his/her clinical outcome will not be available to the researchers for a blinded trial. Patients involved in this study will only provide his or her urine for fundamental science research; beyond that, standard of care will be provided for the patients. With respect to the collected urine, it will be used as a medium for phage and aptamer production in an in vitro fashion. The generated molecular probes will be use to assess and elucidate biomarkers present for individuals with bladder cancer. 100 patients who are being monitored for bladder cancer will be the experimental group to test the electro-phage and aptamer approach to following bladder cancer biomarkers. Additionally, 100 patients being treated for hematuria will provide a negative control to provide data from testing for biomarkers in patients being treated for other diseases.