Introduction: Due to its role in maintaining and inducing pluripotency, NANOG, a gene coding for transcription factor containing DNA binding domain, is a potential candidate of cancer biomarker. In this study, to elucidate the role of NANOG in malignancy further, difference in relative expression of NANOG between low and high grade glioma was evaluated.

Method: Gene quantification was performed using real-time RT-PCR from isolated 29 RNA samples of glioma, resected during surgery of patients in Neurology Department of FKUI-RSCM. Relative expression of NANOG in high grade and low grade glioma was analyzed statistically for normality and them compared further by testing for significant difference.

Results: Statistical analysis showed no significant difference of NANOG expression between high and low grade glioma, however there was tendency for higher expression in the former.

Conclusion: The result supports the indication of NANOG as malignancy biomarker, however further studies of NANOG expression in malignancy using greater sample or other methods may help in confirming its role as cancer biomarker that can be used as potential therapeutic target or prognosis indicator.