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- Posted Tuesday April 2, 2013
TGen professor will discuss the benefits of using whole genome sequencing in the study of multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, is the focus of international scientific meeting in Kyoto
KYOTO, Japan - April 2, 2013 - The scientific
benefits of whole genome sequencing at the Translational Genomics
Research Institute (TGen) will be presented at the 14th
International Myeloma Workshop, April 3-7 at the Kyoto
International Conference Center.
Dr. Jonathan Keats, head of TGen's Multiple Myeloma Research
Laboratory, will present Discovering the Underlying Genetics of
Multiple Myeloma Through Whole Genome Sequencing at 8:15 a.m.
(Kyoto time) April 4, following the conference opening talk.
Multiple myeloma is a pathological description of a disease
characterized by the accumulation of plasma cells in the bone
marrow. Dr. Keats' lab at TGen is focused on using new methods to
investigate the genomic features of this disease with the goal of
identifying genetic events that drive the development, progression,
and mediate therapeutic resistance.
"We will show for the first time the integration of DNA and RNA
sequencing in multiple myeloma, and how TGen's comprehensive
approach to this research has begun to uncover possible genetic
changes that could lead to the underlying causes of this cancer,"
Dr. Keats said.
Previous studies have identified as many as 10 distinct biological
subgroups of multiple myeloma, highlighting the need to identify
distinct genetic defects to address each subtype of this
disease.
Recent advances in next generation sequencing can now identify
nearly all genetics events existing in an individual tumor. Initial
studies have focused on whole genome sequencing or exome sequencing
and confirmed genetic mutations (TP53, NRAS, KRAS) as well as
identified novel mutations (FAM46C and DIS3). In addition,
identification of recurrent BRAF mutations and the availability of
targeted BRAF inhibitors provide an opportunity to translate
research findings into clinical practice to benefit patients.
Dr. Keats is one of the key researchers in TGen's Multiple Myeloma
Genomics Initiative, funded by the Multiple Myeloma Research
Foundation.
"We will present results from the multiple myeloma genomics
initiative using paired whole genome and transcriptome sequencing
on 84 patient samples and 68 cell lines. The
combination of DNA and RNA based sequencing approaches has improved
our ability to identify biologically relevant alterations within
each sample," Dr. Keats said.
"Additional analysis will improve out understanding of what leads
to multiple myeloma and hopefully lead to new and improved
classification and prognostic models."
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About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at
TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer,
neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of
translational research where investigators are able to unravel the
genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with
collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen
believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency
and effectiveness of the translational process. For more
information, visit: www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
