|  |  |  | | | | New research maps genes linked to leukaemia | | | | |
| |  Dr Bertie Göttgens
Release Date: 19 June 2009
Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research scientists have demonstrated, for the first time, how the latest DNA sequencing technology can be used to identify genes involved in blood cell development. This will help researchers develop more effective treatments for leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
It is the first study in the world that has allowed scientists to map the complex network of genes involved in blood cell development and identify flaws in the system that may lead to leukaemia. The research, led by Dr Bertie Gottgens at University of Cambridge, was published in the prestigious scientific journal Blood.
Leukaemia develops when blood stem cells fail to mature into healthy blood cells, and instead produce an abundance of unhealthy leukaemia cells. By using the latest in DNA sequencing technology, Dr Gottgens has begun to identify networks of genes that may play a crucial role in the regulation of stem cells into healthy blood cells.
Dr Gottgen’s team used a novel technique known as ChIP-Seq technology to identify all the genes targeted by Scl, a protein that plays a critical role in blood cell development. Through ChIP-Seq, the scientists were able to detect which genes are controlled by Scl and decipher their ‘genetic alphabet’ with a level of speed and accuracy that has never been been possible until now. This rapid and efficient technique utilises “next generation” sequencing technology, one of the techniques that is being developed for the next phase of the human genome project.
Although a large amount of work has been done to establish the role of proteins like Scl in blood stem cell development, this is the first systematic, large-scale approach taken to identify Scl’s target genes. The ChIP-Seq approach was able to generate more than 10 million individual DNA sequences, allowing scientists to identify the network of genes controlled by Scl.
Dr David Grant, scientific Director for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research comments, “ This study is really exciting in that it provides a blueprint for deciphering regulatory networks in normal and leukaemic blood cells.”
Dr Gottgens adds, “Reconstructing regulatory networks will not only provide fundamental insights into normal blood cell development, but will also be instrumental to understanding how abnormal regulation of these networks contributes to leukaemia.”
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