Abstract A040: Using mitochondrial abundance in tumor-derived extracellular vesicles for pancreatic cancer screening

Abstract Pancreatic cancer, marked by a high mortality rate and rising incidence, often goes undetected until advanced stages, complicating treatment. Tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as promising cancer biomarkers due to their cargo from parent cells. However, current detection methods are often time-consuming, expensive, and complex. To overcome these challenges, we developed a screening assay for pancreatic cancer that uses the mitochondrial DNA to nuclear DNA ratio in tumor-derived EVs as a distinguishing feature. This assay combines immunoprecipitation with qPCR quantification for direct detection of tumor-derived EVs from serum, utilizing DNA-isolation-free techniques and duplexing probes for qPCR, thus saving at least 3 hours. Clinical sample testing demonstrated the assay's potential as a translational tool for cancer screening, showing a weak correlation with prognosis biomarkers and sufficient discriminatory power between healthy controls, pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer cases. Citation Format: Dali Sun. Using mitochondrial abundance in tumor-derived extracellular vesicles for pancreatic cancer screening [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Liquid Biopsy: From Discovery to Clinical Implementation; 2024 Nov 13-16; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2024;30(21_Suppl):Abstract nr A040.