SYDNEY, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia have developed a new tool to explore the mysterious workings of the vast region of the human genome once dismissed as "junk DNA," identifying thousands of potential targets for precision cancer treatments.
The breakthrough marks a major advance for the pioneering field of RNA-based medicine by providing a way to detect the hidden molecules, known as long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), and determine the likely role each is playing in the growth of different cancers, according to a statement released Wednesday by Australia's QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.
The QIMR Berghofer-led team used single-cell and spatial tissue analysis, combined with computational and mathematical modelling, to develop the new tool, with the findings published in Nature Methods.
Using tissue samples from 13 types of cancer, including breast, brain, bowel and skin cancers, researchers identified 219,442 potential lncRNA molecules, including 94,795 that had never been documented before, many of which emerged as top potential functional candidates.
The team mapped the precise three-dimensional location of each lncRNA in cancer tissue and cells, as well as its interactions with other cells, genes and molecules and where that activity was occurring in the tumor.
The findings have been combined into a publicly accessible interactive atlas called SPanC-Lnc, described by the researchers as the most comprehensive resource of its kind.
The study's lead author, QIMR Berghofer Associate Professor Quan Nguyen, said the atlas and the tool are being shared with the global research community to help accelerate the discovery of new cancer biomarkers and therapeutics.
The next step is to validate each lncRNA discovery through functional experiments to identify the most promising candidates for potential diagnostics and treatments, according to the study. ■
