Cancer causing mutations researched and identified at Manipal

Cancer causing mutations researched and identified at Manipal

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, June 20,2017: TA press release issued by Manipal University here recently said that mutations identified in the present study can be used as marker for early diagnosis of ulcerative colitis associated colorectal cancer.

Reports are rife that the researchers from the School of Life Sciences (SOLS) and Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, have performed DNA analysis by targeted exome sequencing in long standing ulcerative colitis subjects at risk of progressing into colorectal cancer and identified cancer causing mutations in new as well as previously identified oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes.

The finding of the study is published in the British Journal of Cancer entitled “Targeted sequencing based analyses of candidate gene variants in ulcerative colitis-associated colorectal neoplasia”, which was also supported by Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

SOLS has been working in the field of cancer biomarker discovery, disease modelling and targeted drug delivery for the past several years, according to its Director K. Satyamoorthy.

Dr. Satyamoorthy said, “As there is an increased incidence of ulcerative colitis in India due to altered food habits, increased awareness, surveillance and availability of better diagnosis, it is important that early diagnosis of patients who are at risk of developing colorectal cancer is of paramount interest”.

Dr. Satyamoorthy, who also led the investigation, said that the major challenge in the study was long-period of follow-up required to monitor the patients with the ulcerative colitis and reluctance of the patients to undergo colonoscopy. Innovative discoveries such as this can lead to better management of individuals with the disease for early detection and personalised care.

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel condition with clinical symptoms of ulceration and bleeding of inner lining of colon. The age of onset for ulcerative colitis varies between 30 to 50 in human beings. Ulcerative colitis subjects with more than seven years of pancolitis or more than 10 years of left sided colitis, experience a higher incidence of colorectal cancer than the rest of the population.

Sanjiban Chakrabarty, lead author of the manuscript, said that “the DNA mutations discovered in the study could distinguish early dysplastic changes in high risk ulcerative colitis and has the potential to predict an adverse outcome.”

Lead clinical investigator Ganesh Pai said, “The results of the studies are important in view of the rising incidence of both ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer in the Asia Pacific region in recent years. The results can help to better understand the development of colorectal cancer in ulcerative colitis, to develop tests for early diagnosis and to possibly select the best treatment strategies for subgroups of patients in the future”.

H. Vinod Bhat, Vice-Chancellor, Manipal University, congratulated the team of researchers.