The complete genomes of two types of cancer have been sequenced
Cancer has been revolutionized
Alexandra Borisova, Newspaper.RuThe genome of two types of cancer – melanoma and small cell lung cancer - has been decoded.
The detection of carcinogenic mutations in DNA promises not only the emergence of new individual treatment methods for each type of cancer, but also the development of cancer prevention and prevention measures.
Almost any disease can be decomposed "brick by brick" using the possibilities of genetics. Strictly speaking, it is a matter of time and resources, and such work is constantly being carried out. In the on-line issue of Nature dated December 16, 2009, a large team of scientists from the UK and the USA publishes a study of the complete genetic code of two types of human cancer – melanoma (A comprehensive catalog of somatic mutations from a human cancer genome) and small-cell lung cancer genome (A small-cell lung cancer genome with complex signatures of tobacco exposure). The researchers claim that this development is the herald of a revolution in medicine and the first swallow of individual therapy for tumors. The work has already been called the most important milestone in the study of carcinogenesis over the past 10 years, its significance is compared with the decoding of the human genome.
The "maps" of the genome are exhaustively detailed. They catalog each mutation of the DNA of the tumor cells of two patients. In the case of cancer, DNA analysis is key – it is a genetic disease. Unfavorable environmental conditions – radiation, smoking, alcohol consumption – can provoke DNA mutation, but the essence of the disease lies precisely in the erroneous work of the genome, which includes rebirth and unlimited cell growth.
Scientists hope to study the genome of all types of tumors by 2020. Each patient will have a genetic defect that provoked cancer, and treatment will be selected based on this information.
In addition, genetic studies will not only treat, but also prevent the development of malignant tumors. With the detection of errors in DNA that provoke tumor growth, it will be possible to develop drugs that can be used proactively. The classification of oncological diseases will also change. They will be diagnosed and treated according to their genetic profile, not according to their location in the human body.
"The mutation lists tell us about how cancer developed, so they also provide information about the possibility of preventing the disease. We get information about the processes that go wrong in the cancer cell – it is they who need to be affected during treatment. Therefore, decoding the cancer genome is a fundamental point in the history of carcinogenesis research. In 10-20 years, catalogs of genetic disorders will become commonplace, and with their help, doctors will select individual treatment methods for patients. This is what our work is for," explained Professor John Bell, president of the British Academy of Medical Sciences.
Studies of the genome of lung cancer and melanoma are only the first steps of a major international project of the International Cancer Genome Consortium. The total budget allocated to cancer genome research is £600 million. As a result, gene mutations that cause the 50 most common types of cancer should be found.
Cancer cells will be taken from 500 patients with every type of cancer, including several forms of breast and liver cancer. The genome of the tumor cells will then be compared with the genetic code of the healthy cells of the corresponding organ. In this way, all DNA defects will be detected – both "harmful" ones that caused the occurrence and spread of cancer, and accidental, secondary ones. Separating them is a more difficult task. However, only after the localization of the actual carcinogenic defects, the search for ways to correct them and prevent their occurrence will begin.
Eternal Youth Portal www.vechnayamolodost.ru17.12.2009