Science Spotlight: How extrachromosomal DNA drives cancer
BioCentury’s roundup of translational innovation features two trios of papers: one on genetic control of cancer and the other on MASLD markers
A team led by Boundless Bio Inc. (NASDAQ:BOLD) co-founder Paul Mischel has identified patterns of transmission and cooperativity among DNA molecules that exist outside of chromosomes in cancer cells. Referred to as extrachromosomal DNA, these circular genetic elements are rare in normal cells, but increasingly understood to fuel tumor growth.
In the first paper, the same scientists who won the 2024 Lurie Prize for discovering long-non coding RNAs (lncRNAs), including Stanford University professor Howard Chang, examined the diversity of extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) elements across cancers and found a pattern that indicated a selection process likely enriches ecDNA with oncogenes. Frequently amplified oncogenes in ecDNA included FGFR2, MDM2, CDK4 and other members of the RTK–RAS, p53 and cell cycle pathways. ...