Date of Award

7-2017

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Clinical Sciences

Program

Clinical Molecular Genetics [discontinued]

First Advisor/Chairperson

Dr. Paul Mann

Abstract

The IDH1 mutation is an important diagnostic and prognostic biomarker used to characterize glioblastoma (GBM). Patients harboring the IDH1 mutation have improved overall survival following maximal resection. Knowledge of the IDH1 mutation status allows the surgeon to modify the surgical plan; however, no existing molecular test can provide this information intraoperatively. We designed a novel colorimetric peptide nucleic acid loop-mediated isothermal amplification (PNA-LAMP) method that rapidly detects the IDH1 R132H mutation in GBM. PNA-LAMP amplifies target DNA under isothermal conditions with high specificity and speed. The PNA prevents amplification of wild-type IDH1 DNA, while allowing amplification of the R132H variant if present. We used a pH-sensitive colorimetric detection method for visual determination of amplification in under one hour. Characterization of the assay was performed with plasmid DNA containing the IDH1 wild-type and R132H variant sequences. Amplification was confirmed using gel electrophoresis, and this analysis suggests that the assay is more sensitive than Sanger sequencing – the gold standard for IDH1 mutation identification. This study is the first to attempt to develop a colorimetric LAMP assay for GBM tumor characterization, and only the third application of the PNA-LAMP method to detect acquired mutations in cancer. This novel molecular assay is a simple, specific, and rapid way to identify the presence of the IDH1 R132H variant associated with GBM.

Access Type

Open Access

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