Understanding acute leukemia is like trying to solve a complex puzzle. The DNA sequence of our cells forms the puzzle pieces, but these pieces can change their appearance – and alter the overall appearance of the puzzle – depending on the colours they acquire. These colours represent epigenomic changes, and a long-funded team of blood-cancer researchers in BC believe the key to better understanding acute leukemia and improving treatments may be found in these changes.
Today fewer than one in five patients with acute leukemia survive a decade, and treatments are ineffective for many children. These treatments often come with severe side-effects that greatly impact patients’ quality of life. There is an urgent need for new treatments that are more effective, less toxic and less financially burdensome.
To meet this need, this team will apply new renewal funds totalling $7.5 million to take their Terry Fox New Frontiers Program Project Grant (PPG) research to the next level.
Project leader Dr. Aly Karsan, a distinguished scientist at BC Cancer’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, says the team will build on the knowledge gained from their previous work to explore the non-genetic mechanisms of leukemia, seeking to understand why these cancers don’t respond to current therapies.
"In cancer research, while DNA mutations are a key focus, our recent work has shown that not all answers lie within the DNA sequence alone. We've discovered that chemical changes to the DNA, known as epigenomic changes, don't alter the genetic code but affect which parts of the genome are active,” explains Dr. Karsan.
“With this new funding, we aim to investigate how these epigenomic changes influence leukemia’s behaviour and treatment response.”
The epigenome is of particular interest because it controls many complex processes in our cells that are less understood. While modifications occur naturally, the epigenome can be altered by disease and environmental exposures.
To study these processes, the team will use patients’ cells as well as models of human leukemias developed through this PPG. They will also test new ways of eliminating or controlling leukemic cells using recently developed single-cell analysis techniques.
To accomplish this ambitious plan, they’ve cultivated a highly interactive team of basic and clinical scientists, including two recently added Terry Fox New Investigators, who bring new scientific perspectives and the latest, cutting-edge technical approaches to the group.
“We would not be able to do the kinds of things we’re doing without funding from a Terry Fox Program Project Grant,” says Dr. Karsan. “This program builds on, and thus leverages, a multi-decade history of close, productive interactions between investigators who have clinical and basic science training, access to state-of-the-art technologies, strong local relationships with collaborating scientists outside the funded PPG, support from outstanding trainees and, most of all, a strong commitment to pursuing innovative science that reaches beyond the limits of our current knowledge.”