On Friday 12 September at 13:00, Maiken Parm Ulhøi defends her PhD dissertation entitled "Exploring EML4-ALK-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in Denmark: Clinical and Molecular Insights".

Precision medicine and the use of biomarkers have fundamentally changed the treatment and survival of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The ALK gene is normally active only during fetal development, where it helps cells grow and develop, but it is switched off later in life. Sometimes, later in life, the ALK gene can fuse with another gene, EML4, creating a new protein called EML4-ALK. This protein can act on its own and send signals that cause uncontrolled cell growth and division, leading to cancer. This is the mechanism behind EML4-ALK-positive NSCLC, a lung cancer subtype that occurs in approximately 35 newly diagnosed Danish lung cancer patients annually. This subtype of lung cancer is often incurable at diagnosis and is typically found in non-smokers. The disease is treated with targeted drugs (ALK inhibitors), which block the activity of the fusion protein and thereby slow the cancer, although treatment response can vary. There is limited understanding of how to predict responses and sequence different ALK inhibitors, and more knowledge is needed on the biology of ALK fusions and resistance mechanisms. Recent research has shown that analyzing blood samples for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can detect EML4-ALK, as well as other mutations related to lung cancer, providing valuable insights into tumor biology and its progression over time.

A new PhD project from Aarhus University, Health investigates the clinical and molecular characteristics of this disease and explores the potential of ctDNA for treatment monitoring and identification of prognostic biomarkers.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place at Aarhus University Hospital, entrance C, main level, auditorium C114-101. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student  Maiken Parm Ulhøi
Mail: maiken@oncology.au.dk
Phone: 91 16 72 63

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