A specific gene expression profile represents a novel, biologically relevant “signature” for identifying colon cancers with high risk of metastatic recurrence, Vanderbilt researchers have found.

Vanderbilt’s Mark Frisse, M.D., M.S., MBA, Accenture Professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, delivered last week’s Flexner Discovery Lecture in Light Hall.

Vanderbilt University’s Mark E. Frisse, M.D., M.S., MBA, a leader in the application of informatics to improve health care delivery, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Jan. 22.

With research and development costs for many drugs reaching well into the billions, pharmaceutical companies want more than ever to determine whether their drugs already at market have any hidden therapeutic benefits that could warrant putting additional indications on the label and increasing production.

Vanderbilt investigators have used a computational biology approach to uncover new cancer drivers and biomarkers of anticancer drug response.

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share common genetic underpinnings. Vanderbilt researchers combined high-resolution gene expression studies with gene association data to reveal signaling pathways linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Vanderbilt investigators have constructed a network map that could guide the development of new targeted cancer therapies.