Katie Thornton

• Investigating the contribution of DNA looping in proto-oncogene expression in blood malignancies
• MSci Biomedcial Genetics

This research was focussed on investigating a potential treatment target for certain types of blood cancer. Our genetic code is like a recipe book, we need instructions and ingredients to produce the cells within our body. The ingredients are genes, and in healthy cells, enhancers provide instructions on which genes are to be switched on and when.

In patients with some types of blood cancer, enhancers relocate, switching on the wrong gene. Recent work identified that the process of switching on the wrong gene can provide a possible treatment target.

This project aimed to disrupt this process using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. In the project, we designed and validated guides that successfully target the gene CCND1 within cancer cells, in order to interrupt its interaction with a nearby enhancer. Further work will use these guides in the hope that we can switch the wrong gene off and potentially kill the cancer cells.

Funded by: Newcastle University Research Scholarship

Project Supervisor: Dr Lisa Russell