Analysis of miRNA profiles in HCC patients

Project Description:

The main goal of this project is to investigate, in patients affected by hepatocarcinoma (HCC), the possible role of miRNA as biomarkers for patient’s follow-up through an extensive profiling of circulating miRNA.

Blood samples are collected at each therapy session and miRNA profile is obtained. To evaluate treatment outcome miRNA analysis is extended to several time points.

The large amount of data obtained from this study will be managed and analyzed by the new computing platform. We expect to obtain a miRNA panel predictive for HCC patient’s outcome.

This work is part of a bigger project called D.NAMICA - Platform for molecular and personalized medicine. Research organizations, universities, technology transfer centres and enterprises in Friuli-Venezia Giulia are working on the development of a new computing platform able to collect, integrate and manage clinical and molecular data coming from patients suffering cardiac, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, medical staff will have a wider and more precise description of the pathology development. With the integration of clinical and molecular data, clinicians and researchers work together to move further towards the personalized medicine frontier.

Italian Liver Foundation (FIF) is one of the nine partners involved in the project. In particular, FIF is responsible for the pilot project on the Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC).

Scientists involved:

Devis Pascut, PhD (Scientific Coordinator)

Riccardo Patti, MD- Clinical Fellow 2012-2013

Luisa Petraccia, MD- Clinical Fellow (from October 2013 to June 2014)

Nicolò Mezzina, under graduated student of Medicine

Claudio Tiribelli, MD, PhD- FIF Scientific Director

Period: From 01/01/2012 to 30/06/2014

Funding Source:

Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia UE-FESR Ministry of Economic Development

Website: http://www.dnamica.it

Partners:

Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria “Ospedali Riuniti” di Trieste;