New ‘powerful’ lab test will help researchers explore blood cancer
Assay allows simultaneous analysis of DNA and RNA in cancer cells
Mission Bio has debuted a new laboratory test that enables researchers to simultaneously detect alterations in the genetic code and changes in genetic activity — starting with whether a gene is turned on or off — within the same cell.
The test, dubbed the Tapestri Single-Cell Targeted DNA + RNA Assay, is already being successfully deployed for research purposes to assess the relationship between genetic mutations and changes in gene activity in multiple types of blood cancer, according to a press release from Mission that outlined the test’s uses.
According to the company, Tapestri helps researchers measure signals within individual cells, which will allow them to “map resistance, relapse, and lineage evolution across [blood cancers].” It will enable scientists to better investigate genetic activity, such as how much of a gene is being used by the cell to make the molecules it needs to function.
“The DNA+RNA assay provides powerful resolution into the mutational landscape and cell states within leukemia,” said Bobby Bowman, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
Within cells, the genetic code is stored in DNA. When a gene is activated, the code is copied over from DNA into a temporary molecule called RNA: Some types of RNA are used as a template to make proteins, while others serve various functions within the cell. When a gene is more active, there will be more copies of the RNA for that gene.
Cancer cells are characterized by mutations, or changes in the genetic code, that lead to uncontrolled cell growth. These mutations can cause dysregulation in the activity of many different genes; however, it has been difficult to tease out the complex relationships between mutations and changes in genetic activity.
New laboratory test can analyze DNA and RNA in same cell
That’s in part because there haven’t been reliable tests that can analyze DNA and RNA simultaneously. The new Tapestri assay aims to fill this gap, giving researchers a new tool to help explore the genetic underpinnings of cancer.
“For translational and cell therapy researchers, combining DNA and RNA signals from the same cells reveals how variants act in real time,” said Adam Sciambi, PhD, chief technology officer and cofounder at Mission. “It turns inference into direct observation, an essential step toward mechanistic insights for next-generation therapies.”
In a recent study, researchers used the Tapestri test to analyze cancer cells from people with lymphoma, a form of blood cancer. Through these analyses, the researchers were able to link alterations in the code stored in DNA to RNA-level changes in gene activity that help drive abnormal cell growth.
Combining DNA and RNA signals from the same cells reveals how variants act in real time. … It turns inference into direct observation, an essential step toward mechanistic insights for next-generation therapies.
Bowman, who was not involved in that study, also reports success using the new tool to analyze leukemia cells, another type of blood cancer.
“With this assay, we were able to chart clonal evolution in response to therapy, and resolve not only which clones survived but the gene expression programs that emerged following therapy,” Bowman said.
Mission will demonstrate the assay’s use at the American Society of Hematology’s 67th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition, to be held Dec. 6-9 in Orlando, Florida. The company noted that the lab test is now being offered only for research use.
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