Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2014 Jun;146(7):1586-90.
doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2014.04.014. Epub 2014 Apr 21.

Barrett's Esophagus Translational Research Network (BETRNet): the pivotal role of multi-institutional collaboration in esophageal adenocarcinoma research

Julian A Abrams  1 , Henry D Appelman  2 , David G Beer  3 , Lynne D Berry  4 , Amitabh Chak  5 , Gary W Falk  6 , Rebecca C Fitzgerald  7 , Gregory G Ginsberg  6 , William M Grady  8 , Bishnu P Joshi  9 , John P Lynch  6 , Sanford Markowitz  10 , Ellen S Richmond  11 , Anil K Rustgi  6 , Eric J Seibel  12 , Nicholas J Shaheen  13 , Yu Shyr  4 , Asad Umar  11 , Kenneth K Wang  14 , Timothy C Wang  1 , Thomas D Wang  9 , Rihab Yassin  15
Affiliations
Editorial

Barrett's Esophagus Translational Research Network (BETRNet): the pivotal role of multi-institutional collaboration in esophageal adenocarcinoma research

Julian A Abrams et al. Gastroenterology. 2014 Jun.
No abstract available

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. BETRNet
This network of three Research Centers (RCs) and one Coordinating Center (CC) combines scientific expertise, patient access, and core facilities to accelerate the discovery of biological events underling EAC and to translate them into clinical practice for improved detection and prevention.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Scientific focus of Research Centers
A) Research Center 1 is studying the possible origins of BE and EAC using the pL2-IL-1β mouse model which develops multiple tumors at the squamocolumnar junction (SCJ) at 12 months. Photo and histology of pL2-IL-1β mouse with esophagitis and a tumor at the SJC at 15 months are shown. Schematic illustration of migrating stem cells (green, Lgr5+) at the cardia that expand into the inflamed esophagus. B) Research Center 2 is developing a molecular imaging approach by identifying targets that are gene amplified and/or highly overexpressed. Highly specific peptides are selected and fluorescently-labeled for in vivo imaging with a multi-spectral scanning fiber endoscope that can detect multiple targets simultaneously. This “red-flag” approach will help physicians to identify HGD in BE. C) Research Center 3 is investigating susceptibility genes in Familial Barrett’s Esophagus (FBE) and the role of methylated genes in BE and EAC. Pedigree shows affected subjects with BE (blue) and EAC (red). Alignment of reads from next generation sequencing run. Heat map from methylation arrays and non-coding and coding RNA signatures in BE and EAC.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Pohl H, Welch HG. The role of overdiagnosis and reclassification in the marked increase of esophageal adenocarcinoma incidence. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005;97:142–6. - PubMed
    1. Desai TK, Krishnan K, Samala N, Singh J, Cluley J, Perla S, Howden CW. The incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma in non-dysplastic Barrett’s oesophagus: a meta-analysis. Gut. 2012;61:970–6. - PubMed
    1. Bhat S, Coleman HG, Yousef F, Johnston BT, McManus DT, Gavin AT, Murray LJ. Risk of malignant progression in Barrett’s esophagus patients: results from a large population-based study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2011;103:1049–57. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hvid-Jensen F, Pedersen L, Drewes AM, Sørensen HT, Funch-Jensen P. Incidence of adenocarcinoma among patients with Barrett’s esophagus. N Engl J Med. 2011;365:1375–83. - PubMed
    1. Sturm MB, Joshi BP, Lu S, Piraka C, Khondee S, Elmunzer BJ, Kwon RS, Beer DG, Appelman HD, Turgeon DK, Wang TD. Targeted endoscopic imaging of Barrett’s neoplasia with specific fluorescent-labeled peptide: first in-human results. Science Translational Medicine. 2013;5:184ra61. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Supplementary concepts