Charlotte Stephenson

• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences
• The use of FISH technique to look into chromosomal realignment in bone marrow cells from patients with leukaemia

My summer research project was based around ALL (a rare form of childhood leukaemia). High hyper-ploidy occurs in many childhood leukaemia cases. This is where the patient has over 50 chromosomes (they should only have 46). I have looked at individual bone marrow cells using cytogenetics (when the chromosomes are in their mitotic stage of the cell cycle) under the microscope, via cytogenetic analysis. I dyed them with a red/green fluorescent protein tag via the FISH (fluorescent in situ hybridisation) technique and identified specific chromosomal patterns. For example, I would look for 2 dots (representing 2 copies of the specific chromosome of interest- this would occur in a normal situation) 3 copies or 4 copies. I was looking out for 3 different scenarios; LH clone (31 chromosomes), doubled up clone (62) or both. We will be trying to prove that both clones being present contributes to ALL.

Funding source: Newcastle University

Project supervisor: Professor Anthony Moorman