Competitive Advantages:
A prognostic biomarker for LGG and neuroblastoma, May be used to develop new treatments, May increase patient survivability.
The present disclosure relates to biomarkers and methods for determining or predicting survival of patients with low grade glioma (LGG) or pediatric neuroblastoma. Further disclosed are methods of diagnosing and treating patients with low grade glioma (LGG) or pediatric neuroblastoma.USF researchers have discovered a new way of attaining a more accurate prognosis for both LGG and pediatric neuroblastoma patients. It has been well established that the MAPT or tau protein plays a neurodegenerative role, but our researchers have now identified a potential cell apoptosis function that tau may play in cancers of the central nervous system. Results revealed that high expression of the MAPT gene is very strongly associated with an increase in disease free survival for both LGG and neuroblastoma patients. This suggests that such brain cancer patients with low levels of tau may be candidates for cordycepin treatment which is known to raise tau levels.
