A new technique using a simple cheek swab (taking cells from the inside of the mouth) to identify genetic mutations in healthy tissue could be an effective tool for cancer prevention, scientists have said in a new study.
A team led by the Wellcome Sanger Institute (who collaborated with King's College London's Twins UK research) has further improved nano-rate sequencing, a method that allows scientists to study genetic changes with unprecedented precision.
These DNA changes, called somatic mutations, occur naturally with age and are usually harmless. However, some mutations give cells the ability to grow faster, meaning they can replicate themselves.
These lumps have the potential to become early stages of cancer.
For this study, researchers used NanoSeq to analyze 371 blood samples along with cheek swabs from 1042 people participating in the Twins UK study.
The analysis looked at more than 340,000 mutations in the cheek cells. This included more than 62,000 genes known to cause cancer, while 49 genes had mutations that gave the cells the ability to grow.
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