Approved Research

Quantifying the dynamics of clonal haematopoiesis in individuals using snapshot whole genome sequencing data

Lay summary

Aging and diseases associated with aging such as cancer, heart disease and conditions linked to inflammation like common "wear and tear" arthritis, develop when normal body cells acquire genetic, and other damage, that causes abnormal cell growth and dysfunction. Early diagnosis and intervention have proven powerful in reducing mortality from some cancers and other diseases, but until now we have not had good tools to identify, at a population level, individuals at risk for many blood cancers and common cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases.

While it is well known that 10-20% of older people have a pre-cancerous condition in their blood, 99% of these people remain healthy, and an accurate distinction between individuals with high and low risk for disease has not been achieved.

Over the next three years, we will analyze the DNA of hundreds of thousands of individuals to search for clues in the DNA that identify individuals at greater risk of developing blood cancer, common heart disease and other inflammatory conditions.

To this end, we will first use analysis of their DNA and mathematical methods to characterize pre-cancerous stages in each individual. This analysis will go beyond solely identifying the pre-cancerous condition, but also yield information on the speed with which the condition has developed in the past and is likely to progress in the future. We will link this with clinical information obtained from NHS records. Our aim in the long term is to identify simple DNA and clinical features associated with a risk of developing blood cancer, common heart disease and common inflammatory conditions so that society can decide on efficient, cost-effective, health care interventions to improved quality of life and survival. All our data will be anonymized and no personal identifying information will be used in our work.