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Genomic and gene expression profiling of bladder cancer

Principal investigator; Höglund, Mattias, Associate Professor, PhD

Clinical speciality: Clinical genetics

Phone: ++46462220393

Co-workers: Wiking Månsson, MD, Senior consultant, Gunilla Chebil, Senior consultant, Mårten Fernö, MD, Professor, David Lindgren, PhD, postdoc

Bladder cancer (urothelial carcinomas) is a heterogeneous disease that shows both superficial and invasive growth. Superficial tumors frequently recur and may progresses to invasive growth. Invasive tumors are generally treated by radical cystectomy i.e., surgical removal of the bladder. A part from being an important disease that warrants better treatment regimes urothelial carcinoma is also a good model system to study tumor initiation and progression. To gain insights into the molecular biology of these processes we perform gene, chromosomal, and gene expression analyses to characterize different tumor subtypes and developmental stages.

We use micro array technology as the major tool for our analyses. By use of array-CGH, (BAC and SNP arrays) we aim to identify chromosomal changes characteristic for tumor stages as well as for tumor behavior. The detailed genomic mapping will be the starting point for identification of potential onco- and tumorsuppressor genes and to gain insights in mechanism causing genomic instability. We use mRNA and microRNA expression profiling to characterize different tumor stages and to identify expression signatures characteristic for tumors that progress, produce metastases, or that show resistance to various treatment regimes. The global expression analyses will also give insights into the signaling systems that may be involved in the disease process. The accumulated molecular data is analyzed in a functional genomic perspective by using several bioinformatical and mathematical/statistical methods.

The development of molecular markers for tumor classification and expression signatures that predict outcome will greatly improve diagnosis treatment of bladder cancer. By systematically analyzing tumors at several biological levels insights into the mechanism that lead to cancerous growth will be obtained and result in a molecular classification system that may be used for clinical purposes.

5 recent original publications

Höglund M, Frigyesi A, Mitelman F.
A gene fusion network in human neoplasia.
Oncogene. 2005; : Dec 5; Epub

Höglund M, Frigyesi A, Mitelman F.
A gene fusion network in human neoplasia.
Oncogene. 2005; : Dec 5; Epub

Broberg K, Björk J, Paulsson K, Höglund M, Albin M.
Constitutional short telomeres are strong genetic susceptibility markers for bladder cancer.
Carcinogenesis. 2005; 26: 1263-1271

Höglund M.
Bladder cancer, a two phased disease?
Semin. Cancer Biol.. 2006; : in press

Lindgren D, Liedberg F, Andersson A, Chebil G, Gudjonsson S, Borg Å, Månsson W, Fioretos F, Höglund M.
Molecular characterization of early bladder carcinomas by expression profiles, FGFR3 mutation status, and loss of 9q.
Oncogene. 2006; : in press

Further publications here (new window)

Financing/year