Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLCL) is a common lymphoid malignancy in adults, accounting for 30,000 new cases each year and nearly 40% of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Although modern treatment can lead to complete remission in a considerable proportion of DLCL patients, many ultimately relapse, probably due to the presence of minimal residual DLCL cells. In this project, we propose to identify relapse of lymphoma at a much earlier time point through detection of personalized lymphoma-specific markers in blood. Specifically, we will use Pyrophosphorolysis Activated Polymerization (PAP), an ultrahigh sensitive nucleic acid amplification technology, to detect as few as one copy of lymphoma-specific somatic mutations in 5 ml of plasma. This assay will be 1000-fold more sensitive than current PCR-based methods. Besides its ultrahigh sensitivity, the testing is non-invasive. The success of this proposal will open new opportunities for personalized monitoring other cancers using similar strategies.
To identify lymphoma relapse at much earlier stages, we propose to use an ultrahigh sensitive nucleic acid amplification technology to detect as few as one copy of personalized cancer- specific DNA markers in blood. This assay will be over 1000-fold more sensitive than current PCR-based methods.
