Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Κλινική Βιοχημεία - Μοριακή ΔιαγνωστικήLibrary of the School of Science
Author:
Theodorou Dimitra
Supervisors info:
Τσιτσιλώνη Ουρανία, Καθηγήτρια Τμήμα Βιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ, (Επιβλέπουσα),
Σπύρος Ευθυμιόπουλος Καθηγητής Τμήμα Βιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ,
Παναγιώτα Παπαζαφείρη Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια Τμήμα Βιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Μελέτη Νέων Βιοδεικτών στην Αμυλοείδωση Ελαφράς Αλυσίδας (AL Αμυλοείδωση)
Translated title:
Study of new biomarkers in Light Chain Amyloidosis (AL Amyloidosis)
Summary:
Light chain amyloidosis (AL amyloidosis) is a rare hematological disorder which is mainly characterized by the accumulation of amyloid fibrils that form insoluble aggregates gathering on organs and tissues. The insoluble aggregates are made up of immunoglobin light chains produced by malignant plasma cells. When a plasma cell becomes malignant it replicates uncontrollably and eventually reproduces in billions of identical cells within the bone marrow. AL amyloidosis is mainly associated with cardiac or renal disorders that can persist for years or become fatal.
The main obstacle that we need to overcome in order to provide effective therapy is the time that AL amyloidosis is diagnosed. The first diagnosis is often evident after an organ disorder has occurred. As a result the main goal of each therapeutic strategy is to decrease the possibility of organ relapse and to increase the survival rate of patients.
The aim of the present master thesis is to identify new biomarkers that can contribute to an earlier diagnosis and a more effective prognosis of AL amyloidosis. We selected our biomarkers taking into consideration specific criteria. Initially, we searched for biomolecules that were transmembrane proteins of plasma cells and secondarily that they associated with verified prognostic significance in other plasma cells dyscrasias. These proteins were IGF-1R (CD221), N-cadherin (CD325) and ICAM-1 (CD54). We analysed their expression pattern in 19 newly diagnosed patients with AL amyloidosis.
We conducted experiments concerning the expression of the biomarkers in malignant plasma cells of patients and we made the comparison with the corresponding expression of biomarkers in normal B-lymphocytes. We then correlated our data with clinical parameters such as the percentage of bone marrow (BM) infiltration and the number of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood. The differences between the groups of patients where statistically significant. However, we need to evaluate our data in a larger cohort of patients in order to ensure the reliability of our results.
Main subject category:
Science
Keywords:
AL amyloidosis, biomarkers, CTCs, BM infiltration, therapy, cell cultures
File:
File access is restricted until 2027-11-13.
Διπλωματική_Θεοδώρου Δήμητρα.pdf
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File access is restricted until 2027-11-13.
