Dr. Nasri on the Role of p16 and p21 as Predictive Biomarkers in Osteosarcoma

Elham Nasri, MD, resident, Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, discusses the role of p16 and p21 as predictive biomarkers in patients with osteosarcoma.

The checkpoints p16 and p21 are not targetable with therapy, but they act as predictive biomarkers with regard to how a patient will potentially benefit from therapy for osteosarcoma, explains Nasri. These checkpoints inhibit the cells from proliferating and from entering the synthesis phase of the cell cycle, adds Nasri.

Previously, in vitro work done in the oncology laboratory by Nasri and colleagues at the University of Florida shed light on the role of the checkpoints in the disease. Researchers realized these checkpoints could be used in real time in vivo to stratify patients based on the expression of p16 and p21, Nasri concludes.