DR-335 Leveraging mutational processes to uncover cancer biomarkers

Cancers develop due to a range of genomic alterations, of which mutations are the most frequent. Sequencing cancer genomes reveals mutations driving tumorigenesis as well as mutational processes present during progression from normal to cancer cells. Identifying mechanisms of mutagenesis is key to better understanding cancer development, and uncovering new therapeutic opportunities. Thanks to the growing availability of cancer genome sequences, the identification of mutational processes and their clinical implications can be assessed at scale. In this project, we will leverage cancer somatic mutations to study the interaction between mutational processes and tumour correlates to identify new clinically relevant biomarkers.

Sarah Aitken, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom