R&D project to develop low input library construction methods.

R&D project to develop low input library construction methods.

The colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence has provided a paradigmatic framework for understanding the successive somatic genetic events and consequent clonal expansions leading to cancer. As for most cancer types, however, understanding of the earliest phases of colorectal neoplastic change, which may occur in morphologically normal tissue, is comparatively limited because of the difficulty of detecting somatic mutations in normal cells. Each colorectal crypt is a small clone of cells derived ... (Show More)

The colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence has provided a paradigmatic framework for understanding the successive somatic genetic events and consequent clonal expansions leading to cancer. As for most cancer types, however, understanding of the earliest phases of colorectal neoplastic change, which may occur in morphologically normal tissue, is comparatively limited because of the difficulty of detecting somatic mutations in normal cells. Each colorectal crypt is a small clone of cells derived from a single recently-existing stem cell. Here, we sequenced hundreds of normal crypts from 42 individuals. Signatures of multiple mutational processes were revealed, some ubiquitous and continuous, others only found in some individuals, in some crypt... (Read more)