Researchers have created a ‘metal detector’ algorithm which will help find vulnerable tumours and could one day revolutionise cancer treatment.
The new tool called PRRDetect could help doctors figure out which patients are more likely to have successful treatment.
The study paper was published in Nature Genetics. It was funded by the NIHR Research Professorship and Cancer Research UK and based at the University of Cambridge and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.
The research analysed the full DNA sequence of 4,775 tumours from seven types of cancer. Scientists used data from Genomics England’s 100,000 Genomes Project to create an algorithm capable of identifying tumours with faults in their DNA that makes them easier to treat.
The algorithm could pave the way for more personalised treatment plans that increase people’s chances of survival.
Professor of Genomic Medicine and Bioinformatics at the University of Cambridge, NIHR Research Professor and lead author of the study, Professor Serena Nik-Zainal, said: “Genomic sequencing is now far faster and cheaper than ever before. We are getting closer to the point where getting your tumour sequenced will be as routine as a scan or blood test. To use genomics most effectively in the clinic, we need tools which give us meaningful information about how a person’s tumour might respond to treatment. This is especially important in cancers where survival is poorer, like lung cancer and brain tumours.
“Cancers with faulty DNA repair are more likely to be treated successfully. PRRDetect helps us better identify those cancers and, as we sequence more and more cancers routinely in the clinic, it could ultimately help doctors better tailor treatments to individual patients.”
