CIBIO-InBIO Researcher Nuno Fonseca contributes to the most comprehensive study of cancer genomes
This study provides the most complete picture to date of cancer-causing mutations in all parts of the genome, indicating new directions for developing diagnostics and treatments.
Involving more than 1,300 scientists and clinicians from 37 countries, the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (known as PCAWG or the Pan-Cancer Project) analyzed more than 2,600 genomes of 38 different tumor types, creating a huge resource of primary cancer genomes. This was then the launch-point for 16 working groups studying multiple aspects of cancer’s development, causation, progression, and classification.
One of the biggest discoveries from the project was a new method for "carbon dating” cancer—identifying cancer-causing mutations that occurred many years before the tumor itself emerged. This opens, theoretically, a window of opportunity for early cancer detection.
On the other hand, it is now possible to accurately identify tumor types according to the patterns of genetic changes seen throughout the genome, potentially aiding the diagnosis of a patient’s cancer where conventional clinical tests could not identify its type. Knowledge of the exact tumour type could also help tailor treatments.
In total, more than 20 papers were simultaneously published – these include the overarching marker paper and 5 satellite papers at Nature; 5 further papers at Nature Genetics; 11 at Nature Communications; and 1 each at Nature Biotech and Communications Biology.
To know more about this topic, please follow the links below:
"Foi revelado o "mapa" mais completo dos genomas de cancro. E a U.Porto ajudou a traçá-lo...” | Notícias UP | February 06, 2020 (Information available in Portuguese)
"Eis o catálogo mais detalhado da complexa genética do cancro” | Público | February 05, 2020 (Information available in Portuguese)
"Cientistas mais perto de descobrir os padrões no ADN que tornam alguém mais susceptível a ter cancro” | Observador | February 08, 2020 (Information available in Portuguese)
"Estudo mostra que cientistas estão mais perto de catalogar vias biológicas do cancro” | Diário de Notícias | February 08, 2020 (Information available in Portuguese)
"Cientistas estão mais perto de catalogar vias biológicas do cancro” | SIC Notícias | February 08, 2020 (Information available in Portuguese)
"Estudo mostra que cientistas estão mais perto de catalogar vias biológicas do cancro” | Diário As Beiras | February 08, 2020 (Information available in Portuguese)
To read the national press release for this study, please click here.
To access the project articles, please click here.