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PROJECT TITLE: Defining the molecular landscape of paediatric and adolescent acute leukaemia in Tanzania
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LEAD INVESTIGATOR: Dr Jonathan Bond
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INSTITUTION: University College Dublin
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AWARD APPROX: £78,000 (funded by The Little Princess Trust in partnership with CCLG)
Project team members Prof Jonathan Bond and Dr Peter McCarthy write...
We’re working on the SALAMA project with colleagues and friends in Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar-esSalaam, Tanzania. SALAMA stands for ‘Studying Acute Leukaemia Mutations in Africa’. It’s also a Swahili word that doesn’t translate exactly to English, but roughly means ‘harmony’.
SALAMA originated in a longstanding clinical collaboration between the national childhood cancer services in Ireland and Tanzania. These links were created by the amazing work of Dr Trish Scanlan, an Irish paediatric oncologist who has worked in Dares-Salaam for nearly 20 years.
During this time, we’ve found out a huge amount about the genetic makeup of paediatric leukaemias, thanks to new technology called ‘next-generation sequencing’. This has helped us understand what makes the leukaemia cells grow and divide, therefore helping us find better treatments for the future. This information is already used in Ireland and the UK to help decide what therapies should be used for patients, and how intensive they should be.
Bridging the gap
However, nearly everything we know about the genetic make-up of childhood blood cancers comes from studies in high-income countries like Ireland and the UK, and we know almost nothing about the genetic make-up of childhood blood cancers in Africa. Our research aims to bridge this gap.
Our Tanzanian partners have been doing great work on the ground so far: explaining the study to patients and parents and asking their permission to use a blood or bone marrow sample for genetic analysis. We’ve been happy that nearly everyone they’ve spoken to so far has agreed to take part. DNA and RNA is extracted from leukaemia cells in Dar-es-Salaam, thanks to our collaboration with the SEREN social enterprise established by Professor Anna Schuh of Oxford University. This is then sent to Dublin for sequencing analysis at our research partners Genuity Science, with the results being transferred to us at University College Dublin.
We use a scientific approach called ‘systems biology’ to investigate how these mutations drive cancer cells to resist treatment. Broadly, this means using computer models to analyse the internal molecular wiring of leukaemia cells. This is like the computer models used to help design complex machines like aeroplanes. In the same way that a computer might predict what happens to an aeroplane when an engine fails, we can also predict what happens to a leukaemia cell when a mutation happens, or if we give a particular treatment. Excitingly, these models can also help us identify hidden ‘Achilles’ heels’ that could be used for new blood cancer treatments in future. We’re using these methods to investigate blood cancers in Irish patients, too, so these studies will complement each other.
Hopes for the future
Long-term, we hope this research will help us adapt therapies and improve how African children with leukaemia are treated. We also predict that our results will flag cases that need specific ‘designer’ anti-leukaemia drugs, and less expensive medications that could be cost-effective in a lower-income setting.
We’re proud that this is a true collaboration with our colleagues in Tanzania and we’re very thankful to Dr Magreth Msoffe, Dr Miraji Omary, Dr Lulu Chirande, Dr Koga Luhulla, Dr Rehema Laiti, Magdalena John and the tireless Ruchius Philbert at Muhimbili, Dr Shakilu Jumanne at Dodoma, and Dr Clara Chamba, Heavenlight Christopher, and Emmanuel Josephat at SEREN. Childhood cancer is a worldwide challenge, and we all need to work together to make things better.
From Contact magazine issue 100 - Autumn 2023
