Merck Healthcare business, BioMed X begin new research project in Oncology
Germany: BioMed X, a German independent research institute, has announced the start of its new research project 'Extrachromosomal DNA in Cancer' (EDC) in collaboration with Healthcare Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The main objective of this research group is to develop an atlas of extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) in human cancer tissues and thereby trace back the mechanisms of ecDNA formation and function.
Like the name suggests, extrachromosomal DNA refers to DNA sequences that are not located on chromosomes. Moreover, cancer-associated extrachromosomal DNA usually contains oncogenes and regulatory regions that can provide a selective growth advantage, such as drug resistance, to the cancer cells who possess it, while also rapidly leading to increased intratumoral genetic heterogeneity.
Dr. Alexandros Drainas, group leader of team EDC, explains why this is relevant for cancer treatment: "Oncogene amplification plays a central role in tumorigenesis, and ecDNA is a frequent and effective mechanism for gene amplification in cancer cells. We need to understand the precise biology of these DNA elements in order to design more potent anticancer treatments, especially for aggressive forms of cancer that rapidly become resistant to therapies."
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