SKAN Partners With Wellcome Sanger Institute & University Of Newcastle To Study Early Stem Cell Mutations In Rare Blood Disorder

SKAN Research Trust (SKAN), promoted by Indian entrepreneur Ashok Soota, has announced a groundbreaking joint research project with the UK-based Wellcome Sanger Institute and the University of Newcastle. The collaboration aims to study early somatic mutations in blood stem cells, which are believed to drive several cancerous and non-cancerous conditions.

This research will extend to cancer subtypes such as Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), an immune cell disorder predominantly affecting children aged 0 to 15 years.

The project, titled "Deciphering the Origins of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis and Related Histiocytic Neoplasms," will be led by Jyoti Nangalia, Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Wellcome-MRC Stem Cell Institute. The study will focus on the genetic mutations that drive LCH and their clinical manifestations, aiming to understand the disease's progression and identify potential early intervention strategies.

Researchers will collaborate with leading LCH treatment centres worldwide, examining cases driven by various genetic mutations. SKAN will specifically create a large cohort of Indian children for the study. This research comes at a critical time as scientists strive to understand how certain genetic mutations lead to lesions appearing in different parts of the body at different times.

Ashok Soota, Chairman and Managing Trustee of SKAN, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, "We are delighted to be partnering with the Sanger Institute and University of Newcastle in a project which gives us dual benefits: understanding the mutation of stem cells and an insight into LCH, an underfunded cancer. The research is expected to develop valuable clinical tests that will aid doctors in understanding what to expect for each patient."

Jyoti Nangalia commented, "These disorders are an enigma and they are likely to have a unique genomic origin. Whilst we are aware that specific mutations are able to drive the disorders, we do not understand how such events result in a multitude of tissues being affected at different times in life, nor why clinical disease often follows distinct patterns across different patients. We hope that our genomics research at the Sanger Institute will shed light on the origin and trajectory of these diseases to help patients in the future."

Professor Matthew Collin of Newcastle University, who has played a major role in establishing diagnostic and blood monitoring pipelines for LCH, now adopted by the UK NHS Genomic Medicine Services, will also be part of this collaboration. He stated, "For patients with these disorders, it is tremendous that state-of-the-art approaches will be brought to bear on increasing our knowledge of how they arise. We are also very excited to extend the reach of research and training to new partners in other healthcare systems."

Davis Karedan, Vice Chairman and  Trustee of SKAN, added, "This collaboration is another step in SKAN’s efforts to establish a robust in-house stem cell research capability and comes on the back of its international collaboration with the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute."