Saskia Gueller, MD

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
$50,000 Tower Career Development Grant

Research Title:
Novel Gene Discovery and Classification for Mantle Cell Lymphoma

The abnormal genes that cause mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) are poorly identified. Recently, an extremely robust technology has become available: 500K SNP chips. This glass platform allows examination of 500,000 sites in the human genome permitting us to study almost every gene in the cell. These chips, therefore, allow identification of genes that are amplified or deleted or have probable small mutations.

Examining a large number of samples and associating the genetic abnormalities with the clinical data will permit us to develop new diagnostic subcategorization of this heterogeneous group of diseases, provide prognostic indicators for the patient and physicians, and identify targets for small molecule therapy. Because of its ease and robustness, the 500K SNP chip may become the standard of care for diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring progession of MCL, as well as other malignancies.