Metabolomics-Based Detection of Colorectal Cancer

In this study, metabolite profiling analysis will be carried out on colon cancer patients at the time of diagnosis and during the course of treatment, using patient tissue and serum samples. Samples of serum (1 ml) and tissue specimens (50 mg each) from colorectal cancer patients (stages I-IV) and serum samples from an equal number of age and gender-matched healthy controls will be obtained under identical (8-hour overnight fasting) conditions. Metabolic profiles will be identified using the NMR and MS instruments located in Purdue's on-campus NMR and MS facilities. Multivariate statistical analyses will be used to monitor changing metabolite profiles that indicate changes in disease status. We anticipate that putative biomarkers will be easier to identify in the cancerous tissue, and the concentrations of these metabolites will then be quantified in the patients' serum, that ultimately would allow for easier detection of colon cancer.