 |
Anna
Rose, 31, has made a critical breakthrough that could help in the early
identification of children at high risk of developing prostate and breast
cancer later in life; All dressed up in her nurse’s outfit at three years old,
it was clear from a very early age that she was planning a career in medicine
|
●Anna Rose, 31, has made
breakthrough in identifying children at risk of cancer ●She carried out research
on so-called junk DNA while working as junior doctor ●Blood test, mouth swab or
hair exam could show if someone is high-risk patient
All dressed up in her
nurse’s outfit at three years old, it was clear from a very early age that Anna
Rose was planning a career in medicine.
Daily
Mail UK report continues:
The
little girl would wear the uniform as she trotted behind her consultant father
on his ward rounds.
But
she’s done lots more than just follow in his footsteps.
Anna,
now a 31-year-old doctor, has made a critical breakthrough that could help in
the early identification of children at high risk of developing prostate and
breast cancer later in life.
Her
painstaking research on so-called junk DNA – carried out in her spare time
while she battled with the demanding workload of a junior doctor – could not
only save hundreds of thousands of lives but also many millions of pounds spent
on long-term treatments.
In
future, the likelihood of a person developing cancer could be identified by a
simple blood test, mouth swab or even the examination of a hair follicle at a
cost of as little as £2 a patient.
‘It
is vital to identify an increased risk of developing any cancer at the earliest
possible age stage,’ said Dr Rose.
‘In
the UK, mammogram screening begins at the age of 50 – but for some women they
might have developed a stage four [advanced] cancer by that age.
'My
work will allow us to identify a woman who has a greatly increased risk of
suffering from breast cancer – before it has ever developed.
‘Technically,
it could be from the day a young baby is born – but it is likely that the test
would be aimed at teenagers or young adults who have decided they would like
screening.
‘Late-stage
cancer costs a fortune to treat, but my findings will allow a cheap and simple
test to be carried out which will allow effective screening and, therefore,
early and hopefully life-saving interventions.’
Dr
Rose’s findings have now been published in the Annals of Oncology journal and a
string of pharmaceutical and biotech companies are monitoring her work in the
hope of being able to develop early screening techniques.
There
are also suggestions she may be able to broaden her work with junk DNA to look
at other forms of cancer or diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
The
work was based on a PhD she undertook almost eight years ago while studying at
University College London.
DNA
that contains coding, or instructions, to create proteins in a cell only
accounts for around 4-5 per cent of human DNA.
The
rest is regarded as non-coding – or junk DNA.
Dr
Rose found that by looking for numbered sequences within junk DNA it was
possible to predict a person’s likelihood of developing breast or prostate
cancer.
She
examined sequences involving a piece of junk DNA known as MSR1 and it is
through a simple test for ‘MSR1 repeats’ that she could identify a raised risk
of developing breast cancer.
Some
people had nine ‘repeats’ in their ‘junk DNA’ while others had 11.
Research
– in collaboration with the University of Dundee – found women with the nine-copy
version were up to five times more likely to develop breast cancer before the
age of 50.
Further
work with the University of Queensland in Australia found that through a
similar process it was possible to detect the likelihood of prostate
cancer.
Dr
Rose and her researchers found that having a nine-copy MSR1 would make a man up
to 1.65 times more likely to develop prostate cancer.
DNA
largely remains the same from the day you are born to the day you die – and
this allows a check on a patient much earlier than previously considered.
If
a potential patient is found to be at increased risk, then treatment could
begin at the earliest opportunity.
Dr
Rose – whose father Professor Geoffrey Rose is a consultant ophthalmic surgeon
at London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital – said: ‘When I began looking at junk DNA
it was assumed that properties within it had little value.
‘My
research has instead found that junk DNA not only controlled genes next door to
certain numbered sequences but could have long lasting effects for years to
come in terms of early prediction of disease risk.’
Dr
Rose is currently working at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford where she is
an Academic Clinical Fellow in paediatrics and she will be specialising in
children’s cancer.
She
said: ‘I have always wanted to be a doctor – and as with most doctors this was
because of a desire to help people, and a sense of vocation.
'But as I went through my studies I became fascinated by the human genome and how DNA affected disease processes.’
No comments:
Post a Comment