 |  |  | | | CAMBRIDGE SCIENTISTS LEAD AMBITIOUS NEW GENE PROJECT | | | | |
| |  DNA microarrays used to map the thousands of genes that are turned on at each stage of blood development.
Release Date: 25th September 2002
Scientists from Cambridge are embarking on an ambitious new project to create an atlas of the thousands of gene changes involved in blood cell development, thanks to a grant of £500,000 from the Leukaemia Research Fund (LRF). This work will provide vital information about cancers of the blood - such as leukaemia and lymphoma.
Dr Tom Freeman and his team - based at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Human Genome Mapping Project Resource Centre at Hinxton near Cambridge - will use the latest technology called DNA microarrays to map the thousands of genes that are turned on at each stage of blood development (see notes for editors).
A series of errors in the way blood cells grow and divide are known to cause blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Understanding why genes tell cells to behave in a certain way is clearly the key to finding a way of preventing these diseases.
The human genome project has shown that there are at least 30,000 genes, which influence the behaviour of a cell, or other genes within a cell. Getting to grips with this complexity of this interaction is at the forefront of this LRF programme.
Gene expression profiling - analysing whether a gene is switched 'on' or 'off' in a given cell - can be carried out using DNA microarrays. Using this new technology, the Cambridge team will be able to look at thousands of genes in a single experiment. It also allows them to compare the patterns of gene expression in healthy cell to those in a cancerous cell.
"This research will be a valuable tool in the fight against cancers of the blood," says Dr Tom Freeman. "This technology allows us to acquire a global view of the thousands of gene changes that take place. Not only will it improve the way these diseases are diagnosed, it will also be crucial for improving treatment," he adds.
Dr Freeman's research team will also provide a "microarray facility" for LRF researchers across the country that do not have access to this technology. The sophisticated equipment required for these experiments is still very expensive so many research teams simply cannot afford to invest in the technology or the expertise required to carry out this work.
By collecting and analysing samples from LRF researchers they are seeking to build up an atlas of blood cell development.
"It is only by collaborating with teams from across the UK that we will get all of the information we require. For the first time ever, this will give us a complete picture of what happens to genes as the blood system evolves," says Dr Freeman.
Cancer scientists have so far focused much of their research on the role of individual genes in these diseases. "This type research is very important but gene expression profiling will provide the whole picture of what can go wrong in these diseases," he adds.
Dr David Grant, Scientific Director of the Leukaemia Research Fund, said: "We have really high hopes for this project.
"Now that the human genome has been mapped the massive amounts of information that this technology will generate will lead us to the genes that are crucial for blood cell development. This genetic atlas will help us to understand what happens to cells as people develop leukaemia," he adds.
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