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Pharma Tech Outlook | Thursday, November 15, 2018
According to recent research, the limit up to which cell lines evolve, has been established, impacting on gene and genetic expression shifts that can alter the way these lines respond to anti-cancer compounds and other drugs. Researchers from the Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School studied exome sequence data for 106 human cell lines grown in labs in the US and UK. When they focused on 27 versions of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cell line, they noticed signs of genetic diversification which was linked to gene expression shifts and anti-cancer drug responses. The research states that cancer cell lines are genetically heterogeneous although such lines may not be static over a period. The researchers concluded that cancer cell lines are neither genetically nor clonal stable.
Exploring further, the researchers analyzed exome sequence data from the Broad Institute's Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia and the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer set from the Sanger Institute for 106 cell lines using a standardized pipeline. After conducting imaging, sequencing, and medical screening, they noticed multiple genes with point mutations, chromosomal translocations, gene expression, and drug response differences. The potential benefits of recognizing within cell-line heterogeneity were established. The researchers stated that the study of cooperative and competitive interactions between cancer cells and mechanism of pre-existing drug resistance could be initiated with the strong characterization of heterogeneity of common cell lines. The isogenic-like strands could help determine the link between molecular features and phenotypes like drug response.
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