Jop Kind receives €250.000 from KNAW research fund

Current cancer diagnostics

Blood can contain cell-free DNA (cfDNA), which originates from dying cells, for example of tumors. cfDNA therefore holds rich information on a person’s physiological state. Cancer diagnostics based on cfDNA in liquid biopsies hold great promise in guiding treatment and screening for recurrent disease. However, current diagnostic strategies are costly and labor intensive, and generally fall short in detecting cancer in its early stages.

Cell identification

In a cell, DNA is packaged into a structure that is made up from so-called nucleosomes. These nucleosomes contain a diverse range of post-translational modifications (PTMs) depending on the function of the cell; different types of cells contain different PTMs. Therefore, readouts of PTMs are very relevant to identify from which cell type the DNA originates. Recently, researchers found that cfDNA in blood is still wrapped around nucleosomes, which retained their PTMs.

New technology

The Kind group will use the grant from the KNAW research fund to develop a new technology for the early detection of cancer based on a blood sample. This technology will use the PTMs retained on nucleosomes to determine the cell-of-origin of cfDNA. In collaboration with the Medema group (Amsterdam UMC), the researchers will study how well the technology discriminates between different subtypes of colon cancer. The ultimate aim of the project is to establish an easy method for the early detection of a range of cancer types using merely a few drops of blood, thereby drastically improving early cancer diagnostics.

Vacancy

Because of this new project, there is room for a postdoc in the Kind group. More information about the vacancy can be found here.