Aatur Singhi, MD, PhD
Molecular testing of pancreatic cyst fluid for the early detection of pancreatic cancer
Millions of Americans are found to have a pancreatic cyst each year. Most are benign, but a subset, called mucinous cysts, can progress to pancreatic cancer, and telling them apart is hard. Patients are often followed with repeated imaging and biopsies, and overdiagnosis can lead to unnecessary surgery. Sky funding in Dr. Singhi’s laboratory led to PancreaSeqV2, a clinically available precision-medicine test that uses a small amount of cyst fluid to detect the molecular changes associated with mucinous cysts and pancreatic cancer. The same sequencing backbone produced BiliSeq, a test for malignant bile duct strictures, including those caused by pancreatic cancer. Sky also supported genomic profiling of more than 600 pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms to find prognostic markers and treatment targets.
By the end of 2019, PancreaSeqV2 was in clinical use at more than 13 U.S. medical institutions, including Johns Hopkins, Stanford and Mayo Clinic Florida, and had evaluated more than 1,000 patients that year. The lab identified the first gene fusion characterizing intraductal oncocytic papillary neoplasms, a precursor to pancreatic cancer, published in Gastroenterology. BiliSeq detected strictures more sensitively than standard pathology (73% vs 48%) and found treatable targets in 18 patients.
Dr. Singhi is a surgical pathologist with sub-specialty training in gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatobiliary pathology. His diagnostic expertise covers both neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases of the gastrointestinal system, liver, biliary tract, pancreas and peritoneum. His current research is primarily translational, in gastrointestinal, pancreatic, hepatobiliary and peritoneal pathology.
Seed grants start at $50,000 — awarded by scientists, reported on annually.
Donate →Aatur Singhi, MD, PhD
Molecular testing of pancreatic cyst fluid for the early detection of pancreatic cancer
Millions of Americans are found to have a pancreatic cyst each year. Most are benign, but a subset, called mucinous cysts, can progress to pancreatic cancer, and telling them apart is hard. Patients are often followed with repeated imaging and biopsies, and overdiagnosis can lead to unnecessary surgery. Sky funding in Dr. Singhi’s laboratory led to PancreaSeqV2, a clinically available precision-medicine test that uses a small amount of cyst fluid to detect the molecular changes associated with mucinous cysts and pancreatic cancer. The same sequencing backbone produced BiliSeq, a test for malignant bile duct strictures, including those caused by pancreatic cancer. Sky also supported genomic profiling of more than 600 pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms to find prognostic markers and treatment targets.
By the end of 2019, PancreaSeqV2 was in clinical use at more than 13 U.S. medical institutions, including Johns Hopkins, Stanford and Mayo Clinic Florida, and had evaluated more than 1,000 patients that year. The lab identified the first gene fusion characterizing intraductal oncocytic papillary neoplasms, a precursor to pancreatic cancer, published in Gastroenterology. BiliSeq detected strictures more sensitively than standard pathology (73% vs 48%) and found treatable targets in 18 patients.
Dr. Singhi is a surgical pathologist with sub-specialty training in gastrointestinal, liver and pancreatobiliary pathology. His diagnostic expertise covers both neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases of the gastrointestinal system, liver, biliary tract, pancreas and peritoneum. His current research is primarily translational, in gastrointestinal, pancreatic, hepatobiliary and peritoneal pathology.
Seed grants start at $50,000 — awarded by scientists, reported on annually.
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