Arul Chinnaiyan is a Hicks Endowed Professor of Pathology and professor of pathology and urology at the University of Michigan Medical School. He is also a Howard Hughes medical Investigatorat the Howard Hughes Medical Institute... (wikipedia)
There is really intriguing evidence that this particular gene fusion is the causative agent of prostate cancer.
This was a discovery study that established the concept of taking advantage of the immune system to detect cancer.
These 22 markers ended up being the best combination of markers that allow us to most effectively diagnose prostate cancer.
It was a serendipitous discovery, something very surprising to us.
It's a controversial arena -- the PSA is a marker of prostate bulk and size, but it's highly expressed in benign prostate disease as well as cancer -- so in that context it's not a specific marker.
Initially, we envision this new test could be used as a supplement to PSA. A physician might suggest a patient with an elevated PSA have this test before a biopsy to better determine whether it's a cancerous or benign condition. In the future, I think this could replace PSA.
Initially, we envision this new test could be used as a supplement to PSA.