Lipidomics is a field focused on the study of lipids in living systems, where lipids play an important role, such as precursors for metabolic processes and signaling, which predestine lipids for biomarkers of serious diseases. We investigated lipid profiles of pancreatic cancer (PaC) patients and control samples (in total 830 serum samples) using ultrahigh-performance supercritical fluid chromatography (UHPSFC/MS) resulting in the discovery of significant dysregulation of sphingomyelins, ceramides, and (lyso)phosphatidylcholines [1]. The dysregulation of lipids was proven by various mass spectrometry approaches in cooperating laboratories in Germany and Singapore. The sensitivity and specificity to diagnose pancreatic cancer are more than 90%, including the early stages. The high-throughput UHPSFC/MS method (analysis time 4.4 min) combined with automatic data processing and multivariate statistical analysis represents an innovative method for early detection of pancreatic cancer.
The spin-off company Lipidica was established in May 2022 based on the patented methodology with the goal of starting clinical validation focused on high-risk groups of pancreatic cancer. The lifetime risk of developing PDAC among high-risk groups is >5% compared to the general population with 1.5%. High-risk groups are defined according to the recommendations of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), including individuals with genetic mutations (BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, Lynch syndrome, and hereditary pancreatitis) and familial pancreatic cancer. Preliminary data show successful results for the diagnosis of individuals in high-risk groups, where 93 samples were evaluated with 94% specificity. The goal of clinical validation is to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Lipidomic Diagnostics of Pancreatic Cancer (LDPC) test and to compare the results with conventional EUS or MRI diagnostics. This project collaborates with PaC screening studies SCREPAN (Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno) and HEPACAS (University Hospital Olomouc). The LDPC test is non-invasive, economically advantageous, and highly accurate, therefore, it could be a suitable candidate for the national screening program for early detection of pancreatic cancer.
This work was supported by NU21-03-00499 (AZV) a 101095860 (ERC Advanced grant).
Literature:
[1] D. Wolrab et al., Nat. Commun. 2022, 13, 124.
