PHOENIX, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Translational Genomics Research Institute scientists in Phoenix say they've received a $1,000 prize for their study of lung cancer metastasis to the brain.
The research was judged best scientific paper presented last month in Washington during an international conference on bioinformatics and biomedicine held by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Conference judges said the paper was selected from among 233 submissions because of the amount of work done for the study, including laboratory work, and the novelty of the research approach.
The researchers said their study focused on using microRNAs -- small molecules that regulate gene expression in cells -- to help understand and predict how malignant lung cancer often spreads to the brain.
MicroRNAs and imaging characteristics were used as biomarkers that could indicate the presence of metastatic brain tumors, also known as brain metastases.
Nearly 25 percent of lung cancer patients will develop brain metastases, but the researchers said there are no good measures to identify those at high risk.
"If such markers could be detected by non-invasive means, such as with PET/CT, it could potentially revolutionize personalized healthcare in this country," the paper said.
