The genetics revolution All cancers are caused by changes inside cells that alter their DNA instructions, leading to uncontrolled cell division. Understanding how and when those genetic changes occur could lead to more rapid diagnostic techniques, predicting cancer risk or even, in future, stopping it from happening altogether. “A decade ago, our primary diagnostic tool for cancer was looking at the cells under a microscope,” says Dr Darren Hargrave. “Genetics is revolutionising the way we diagnose and treat these and other diseases.” “Studies have shown that for virtually every ‘type’ of cancer, there are many sub types, each with different genetic characteristics. That’s telling us incredibly valuable things about
which existing treatments are likely to work for which types, as well as giving us new ideas for treatments.” In 2018, Professor Hargrave launched a UK-wide project (SMPaeds) to sequence the DNA of all childhood tumours that have returned after treatment. These cancers are often resistant to further treatment and therefore have an extremely poor prognosis. “We’re hoping to see the underlying instructions driving the cancer’s behaviour, including exactly how it puts up barriers against treatment. We’ll also look for genetic instructions that create unique features on the surface of cancer cells. That’s exciting because the more of those we have, the more we can target our treatments.”
2019 P rofessor Kathy Pritchard-Jones shows that genetic precursors to Wilms tumour can be found in healthy looking kidney tissue surrounding the tumour. Identifying where cancer may be ‘lying in wait’ could lead to more targeted surgery. 40
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