Researchers have released a dataset that includes thousands of methylated sites from numerous cancer cells, including various forms of leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, originating from both humans and mice. This information grants researchers access to the epigenetic characteristics of these tumors for both research and clinical applications.
The landscape of biomedical research has undergone significant transformations in recent years, where traditional laboratory techniques are often replaced by computational analyses. Nowadays, many breakthroughs begin with comprehensive research into molecular and cellular databases, which are later confirmed and expanded upon through conventional laboratory experiments, ultimately leading to clinical applications managed by healthcare professionals. The emergence of “database engineering” has created opportunities in biomedical research for computer scientists and mathematicians, who increasingly occupy vital roles in this field.
Leukemia, part of the Nature group, spearheaded by Dr. Manel Esteller, an ICREA Research Professor at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC) and the Chairman of Genetics at the University of Barcelona School of Medicine, exemplifies the significance of bioinformatics by offering the scientific community epigenetic maps from over 200 cell lines linked to various malignant blood disorders and related organs like leukemia and lymphoma. The lead author of the study is Dr. Aleix Noguera-Castells, who collaborated with Dr. Josep Maria Ribera’s Lab, also associated with the Josep Carreras Institute.
Dr. Esteller notes that the research team has acquired “the epigenetic profiles from the most extensive collection of cultured cells stemming from transformed cells in the bloodstream, bone marrow, and lymph nodes to date, analyzing more than 800,000 sites of genomic changes due to DNA methylation.” This dataset includes samples from both human and mouse tumors, making the findings potentially beneficial for basic, applied, and clinical research.
Esteller further emphasizes that “a notably crucial aspect is that the epigenomes we elucidated closely resemble those of patients’ primary tumors,” suggesting that this database can act as a reference for diagnosing blood cancers when there are uncertainties regarding their classification. “We have already demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach with brain tumors and sarcomas,” says Dr. Esteller.
In addition to characterizing the epigenomes of malignant cells, the study also integrated the epigenetic information with the sensitivity data of over 300 drugs. Dr. Esteller states, “Now, a distinct algorithm can predict which epigenetic alterations correlate with a drug’s sensitivity or resistance,” marking a significant breakthrough for clinical research.
With the wide accessibility of this data, which has been uploaded to public online repositories, the research team believes that the detailed characterization associated with drug sensitivity will be instrumental in accurately identifying tumors of unknown origins and determining the most suitable treatment options.
This study has received partial funding from various sources, including the Spanish and Catalan governments, the Cellex Foundation, “La Caixa” Foundation, and the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC). No generative AI tools were utilized in composing this news article.
