Is the ‘dark genome’ holding the secret to understanding lymphoma?
Cancer types:
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Blood cancer
Project period:
–
Research institute:
University of Cambridge
Award amount:
£266,546
Location:
United Kingdom
Dr Daniel Hodson and his team hope that the ‘dark genome’ in a common type of lymphoma will reveal the hidden codes that are crucial for the development of this cancer. By knowing more about how lymphoma starts he hopes to find new ways to stop it in its tracks.
Why is this research needed?
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a common and aggressive form of blood cancer, and the treatment options have barely changed in the last two decades. In 2022 there were approximately 550,00 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma globally. About a third of these cases are DLBCL.
We know that DLBCL is caused by genetic mistakes called mutations. Historically a large part of our genome has been overlooked, which Dr Hodson refers to as ‘the dark genome’. The ‘dark genome’ is like the spaces in between words in a book- it might look like they are not important but without them it would be impossible to read.
Dr Hodson and his team are planning to use innovative technologies to study the ‘dark genome’. They believe this may hold the key to understanding the different ways DLBCL develops and how we can better treat this devastating disease.
We hope to bring forward the day that we can treat diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with a biologically targeted, precision medicine approach.
What is the science behind this project?
In this project, Dr Hodson and his team aim to decipher the entire dark genome of DLBCL for the first time. By identifying mutations in this overlooked area or ‘empty spaces’, we can learn more about how these contribute to the development of the disease. Researchers thought these spaces were unimportant because they did not code anything, but they have come to realise they do perform a function. Mutations in these spaces are frequent in DLBCL.
Their project combines multiple pioneering and cutting-edge technologies to perform this large piece of work. With all these techniques combined, they can screen the impact of thousands of non-coding mutations in a single experiment. This way Dr Hodson and the team hope to find non-coding mutations that might play a role in the development of DLBCL.
What difference could this project make to patients in the future?
Ultimately, this project may lead to a better way to of understanding a patient’s cancer and how they might respond to treatment. The team may also find clearer targets for specific treatments for patients with specific cancer mutations.
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