Identifying novel small RNA biomarkers unique to patients with gastric cancer

Extracellular RNA (exRNA) is an emerging paradigm as endocrine signals in cellular communication, biomarker development, therapeutic applications and systemic physiology. This project is to test the hypothesis that salivary extracellular RNA (exRNA) can be developed for the clinical detection of human diseases. Our laboratory first reported the existence of a transcriptome and microRNA profile in cell free saliva followed by its scientific characterizations and clinical utilities including biomarker development for molecular oncology applications. Most recently we have performed RNA-sequencing in cell free saliva and reported three major types of RNA in saliva (mRNA, miRNA and snoRNA). This study is to test the hypothesis that salivary exRNA can be developed to detect gastric cancer by performing a biomarker development study to definitively validate salivary exRNA biomarkers for the detection of gastric cancer. 198 total samples from 198 donors were analyzed. The study contains 100 non-gastric cancer controls and 98 gastric cancer patients with no replicates. All samples are saliva. -------------------------------- Submitter states "We are currently working on submitting the data for these protected datasets to dbGaP, but wanted to submit the processed data to GEO in the mean time."