Genomics
Genomics is the study of all genes in a cell or organism and has during the recent ten-year period been subject to an unprecedented development. Genes determines what proteins and other building blocks an organism will consist of. This means that ultimately the genes also determines the risk for an individual to develop different disease like cancer, since genetic abnormalities, such as mutations, can lead to cancer.
The Genomic Center at Medicon Village has a recognized and world-class tradition in genomic cancer research, including several major translational projects that have progressed into health care implementations. Recently, there have been major breakthroughs in sequence technologies coupled with bioinformatics, advancing the prospect of cancer genome analysis.
Breast cancer has been a top priority in for the Genomic Center at Medicon Village with large tumor tissue biobanks available and genetic screening of familial cancers. In addition, clinical trials, including the BRCA diagnostic laboratory as well as the unique prospective south Sweden Cancerome Analysis Network in Breast cancer (SCAN-B) has been successfully established in Lund.
Presently, systematic and prospective analyses of breast cancer are ongoing to evaluate genomics in blood-based monitoring of residual disease of treatment effect. This is performed by quantification of cell-free tumor DNA in plasma, which has shown very promising result. A number of other studies on different malignancies are also performed within the MAD for Cancer Program. In addition, the Regional Cancer Centre –Syd (RCC-Syd) has an ambition to build an infrastructure for collection of blood and fresh tissue from all new cancer diagnoses in south Sweden. Taken together, this forms an ideal platform for translational projects and a vehicle to further promote our aim to increase the value for patients.