Wednesday 20 October 1999
The Human Genome Project is being harnessed by British scientists in a ground-breaking approach to find the genes associated with all forms of cancer. The £10 million Cancer Genome Project is the first of its kind in the world, and was initiated by scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research, in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust.
The idea came from two scientists at the world renowned Institute of Cancer Research, Professor Mike Stratton and Dr Richard Wooster. Scientists at the Institute have mapped or cloned more cancer related genes than any other research organisation in the world, including the breast cancer gene BRCA2. Professor Stratton and Dr Wooster will lead the project from the Sanger Centre, the world’s largest genome sequencing centre.
This important application of the Human Genome Project was formulated by the scientists when they realised the enormous implications that the project could have in understanding all forms of human cancer, and represents a natural progression of the Wellcome Trust’s substantial investment in genomics.
Research into the genes which can cause cancer is a laborious, repetitive and often frustrating task, as Professor Stratton comments: "It is an incredibly difficult trawling exercise to find the genes implicated in cancer and, previously, one could easily be led off the track by false information."
Professor Stratton and Dr Wooster decided that a new approach was imperative. In a series of meetings between the two over the course of six months, they discussed the impact of the Human Genome Project and how it could be applied to cancer. By putting the two research areas together, they were able to devise this new approach.
Commenting on the project, Dr Wooster said: "The data emerging from the Human Genome Project will give us an incredible new information source - the normal blueprint of human DNA, the autobiography of a human being. From this, we can systematically screen all the genes to see where cancers have a different autobiography - where their DNA sequence differs - and so work out which genes are abnormal."
The new information gained from the project could have enormous implications for the way in which cancer is treated. With a new understanding of the genes involved, we will be able to look at new ways of treating the abnormalities in DNA sequence.
Dr Peter Rigby, Chief Executive of the Institute of Cancer Research commented:
"The Cancer Genome Project has the potential to change the face of cancer research and, in the long term, will have a significant impact on the diagnosis, management and treatment of the disease. The Institute of Cancer Research is delighted to be able to collaborate with the Wellcome Trust and other major cancer charities, in taking this important work forward.
We are enormously proud that our scientists Professor Mike Stratton and Dr Richard Wooster, have played the leading role in formulating this ground-breaking project at the Sanger Centre. Without the expertise of this world-leading genome centre, the project would not be feasible."
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Notes to Editors
- The Sanger Centre is the world’s largest genome sequencing centre, based in Hinxton, Cambridgeshire. It has funding from the Wellcome Trust to sequence a third of the 3000 million base human genome, which will be the biggest contribution to the worldwide Human Genome Project by any single institute. The Sanger Centre and the Wellcome Trust have been at the forefront of efforts to keep the human sequence data in the public domain to allow equal access by all to our common genetic heritage
- The Institute of Cancer Research is a centre of excellence with some of the world's leading scientists working on cutting edge research. It was founded in 1909 to carry out research into the causes of cancer and to develop new strategies for its prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. In 1996 the Institute achieved a HEFCE rating of 5*, placing the Institute first in the UK for cancer research and second for medical research. The Institute has sites on Fulham Road, London and in Sutton, Surrey
- The project is currently funded for the next five years although Professor Stratton expects the full project to take a decade.
Please note:
Unfortunately the press office are unable to answer queries from the general public. For general cancer information please refer to The Institute's cancer information page.