Vanderbilt team makes colon cancer discovery

A team of researchers led by Vanderbilt University has identified the genetic mutations responsible for the worst types of colon cancer.

The discovery will help doctors determine which cases of colon cancer require aggressive treatment, such as chemotherapy after surgery. It also is an important starting point toward developing medicines that can target these mutations.

An article about the research appears in the current edition of the scientific journal Nature. Vanderbilt led the initiative, which included six other cancer research institutions.

“It’s a first-of-its kind paper,” said Vanderbilt Professor Daniel Liebler. “I think it’s a very important advance in the field.”

The team looked at protein structures within genetic mutations, a research field referred to as proteomics, to determine which ones actually do the cancer’s work. The team used biomedical informatics to come to its conclusions.

“Integrating the proteomics data with the vast amount of pre-existing genomic data is a daunting task,” said Vanderbilt Prfoessor Bing Zhang. “However, it is also the key to turn the data into novel insights.”

In the work, the researchers identified four subtypes of colon cancer, including one with a protein signature associated with poor outcomes.

The work at Vanderbilt was supported by a $10 million gift from Jim Ayers, chairman of FirstBank in Lexington, Tenn., and his wife, Janet Ayers. The research was also supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Reach Tom Wilemon at 615-726-5961 and on Twitter @TomWilemon.