Summary of Ancestry Unlocks Secrets to Personalized Cancer Treatments:
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientists have developed software to infer continental ancestry from tumor DNA and RNA accurately. The software has shown over 95% accuracy in matching hybrid profiles to continental populations. Still, the team is working on achieving regional specificity and testing tumor samples of unknown ancestry. The ultimate goal is to pinpoint the specific part of the genome responsible for different types of cancer in particular populations and target it for treatment. The team hopes this work will help clinicians develop new strategies for early cancer detection and personalized therapies.
*****
Tracking Cancer’s Ancestral Roots: Researchers Develop Software to Infer Ancestry from Tumor DNA and RNA Accurately
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with millions of new cases diagnosed yearly. While modern medicine has made great strides in treating cancer, understanding the genetic factors that lead to this disease is key to improving prevention and treatment strategies. One of the factors that can influence cancer development is a person’s ancestry. Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) are working on a project to find the genealogical connections between cancer and race or ethnicity. They have developed software to infer continental ancestry from tumor DNA and RNA accurately. The software has shown over 95% accuracy in matching hybrid profiles to continental populations.
The Importance of Understanding Ancestry in Cancer Treatment
As researchers conduct more studies on cancer genetics, they find that certain populations may be more susceptible to specific types of cancer than others. This may be due to genetic or environmental factors related to the individual’s ancestry. By tracing cancer’s ancestral roots, researchers hope to identify gene variants or other genetic factors that may increase cancer risk in certain populations. Knowing a patient’s ancestry could play a significant role in personalized cancer treatments.
How the Research Was Conducted
Researchers at CSHL developed software that accurately infers continental ancestry from tumor DNA and RNA. They created hybrid DNA profiles using cancerous and unrelated cancer-free genomes of a known background. The software was then tested against pancreatic, ovarian, breast, and blood cancer specimens from patients with known ancestry. The team found the software matched their hybrid profiles to continental populations with over 95% accuracy.
What’s Next for the Research
In collaboration with Northwell Health and SUNY Downstate Medical Center, the team aims to refine the software further to infer the ancestry of whole genomes and every individual sequence. While the software has shown promising accuracy levels, the team wants to improve its regional specificity. By testing tumor samples of unknown ancestry, they hope to reveal ancestral mixtures and achieve more regional specificity.
What Could This Mean for Cancer Patients?
Identifying more localized ancestries susceptible to different cancers could help researchers pinpoint the specific part of the genome responsible and target it for treatment. This may lead to new screening methods for cancer detection and personalized medicines that consider a patient’s ancestry.
Conclusion
As cancer continues to devastate millions worldwide, understanding the underlying genetics contributing to this disease is crucial. This new software developed by researchers at CSHL has the potential to accurately infer continental ancestry from tumor DNA and RNA, helping clinicians develop new strategies for early cancer detection and personalized treatments. As the research continues, there is hope that it will lead to more effective cancer treatments and better patient outcomes everywhere.
Comments are closed