Liquid Biopsy to Predict Progression and Metastasis in Uveal Melanoma: Potential Malignant Transformation from Nevus

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary ocular tumor in adults. UM is treated by removing the eye (enucleation) or by local radiation therapy. Despite effective treatments for the ocular tumors, about 50% of patients develop metastasis, which are frequently lethal. Genetic profiling is used to study the molecular changes that occur and is done using tumor tissue from a biopsy.
Intraocular biopsies, however, pose risk to the eye structure and vision, and provide only one assessment of the tumor, but we know that the characteristics of tumors are constantly evolving. Therefore, a new method is needed to monitor UM without enucleation or biopsy.
Liquid biopsy has emerged as a non-invasive alternative to surgical biopsies that enables us to study a tumor through a simple blood sample. The aim of this project is to monitor UM disease course over time using liquid biopsy in a non-invasive manner.

Faculty Supervisor:

Julia V Burnier;Julia Valdemarin Burnier

Student:

Partner:

Carl Zeiss Canada

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

Program: