Cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease in children and young people in the UK. It's a stark reminder of how much work remains to be done, and why Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is making pediatric cancer a priority. Bringing basic research into the real lives of children in the clinic has been a driving force for Professor Christine Harrison over a career of exploring chromosomal abnormalities in children's and young people's cancers. Not only to gain an understanding of how they lead to the disease but also, ultimately, to identify potential therapeutic opportunities, which if applied early enough, may prevent some cancers from developing.

Chromosomal aberrations were one of the early features described in cancer cells, but whether aneuploidy—a deviation in the number of chromosomes—is a cause or consequence of the disease, has long been debated.

The three-year project will bring together Christine's experience in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) and Steve Clifford's expertise in medulloblastoma—both characterized by aneuploidy. Jonathan Higgins, a mitotic control expert, is entering the pediatric oncology field for the first time. He'll provide essential insight into the causes of aneuploidies, in particular of chromosome 21 (ALL) and chromosome 7 (medulloblastoma).

The first order of business will be to identify any genetic factors that confer a predisposition to chromosomal missegregation—an error in cell division that may provide the genomic link to the cause of aneuploidy. Key to this, says Christine, is an extensive database of sequenced patient samples. We have collected large data sets from genomic studies, through working closely with colleagues in America, Japan and China who are contributing their data. Mining these data will allow us to drill down on some predisposing factors that we can test.

Regards

John
Editorial Assistant
Immunogenetics Open Access