Harvey I. Pass, MD

The Thoracic Oncology laboratory investigates biomarker signatures for lung cancer and mesothelioma both in tissue and in the blood for discovery and validation. This work is supported by the National Cancer Institute Early Detection Research Network since 2005. Specifically our interests include the use of plasma osteopontin for the early detection and diagnosis of lung cancer, and studies of the role of osteopontin isoforms in order to increase specificity. Osteopontin is also being investigated for the prognosis of early lung cancer and mesothelioma, and we have demonstrated that plasma osteopontin can stratify resected Stage I lung cancers by their disease free survival. In mesothelioma, modeling of clinical parameters with plasma osteopontin can predict which patients will have long term survival. Other mesothelioma biomarkers include Fibulin 3 which to date has the highest sensitivity and specificty published for the diagnosis of mesothelioma using blood based biomarkers. Fibulin 3 levels in blood as well as in pleural effusions can differentiate mesothelioma from individuals with benign effusions, from others with non mesothelioma malignant effusions, and from patients exposed to asbestos but who do not have mesothelioma. A large validation study using an asbestos exposed cohort of individuals in Santiago Chile funded by the NCI will commence in the third quarter of 2015.  MicroRNA studies, using NanoString are also the subject of an NCI awarded RO1 to Drs. Pass and Carlo Croce for the differential diagnosis of the solitary pulmonary nodule, and these studies are ongoing. The Thoracic Oncology Laboratory collaborates with Industry for the discovery and validation of biomarkers. Biomarker profiles for lung cancer and mesothelioma using  Slow Off Rate Modified Aptamers (SOMAmers) in collaboration with Somalogic, Boulder CO, have been published and are in final validation phases. Other proteomic based plasma biomarker studies for lung cancer have been reported in collaboration with Integrated Diagnostics.