Understanding genetic changes in cancer
Official title: Learning about the evolution of structural variations from genomic and transcriptomic data
Funded at Florida Atlantic University · NIH-11097310 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project helps us learn how important genetic changes, called structural variations, develop in diseases like cancer by looking closely at genetic information.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Florida Atlantic University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boca Raton, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $373,597 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM142438-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11097310 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This foundational research is not directly recruiting patients, but future studies building on this knowledge may seek individuals with specific cancer types or genetic profiles.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not affected by cancers or other diseases driven by structural genetic variations would not directly benefit from this particular research.
What this research studies
Our bodies' cells can have changes in their genetic material, known as structural variations, which play a big role in how diseases like cancer develop. This work uses computer and statistical tools to understand how these variations, especially gene duplications, change over time. By studying genetic information from different tissues, we can classify how these gene changes evolve and how natural selection influences them. This helps us uncover the fundamental processes behind these genetic alterations.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to a deeper understanding of how cancers develop, potentially guiding the creation of new ways to diagnose or treat them in the future.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work by this group has successfully developed methods to classify evolutionary outcomes of duplicate genes and demonstrated the role of natural selection in these changes.
Where this research is happening
-
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Assis, Raquel — Florida Atlantic University
- Study coordinator: Assis, Raquel
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.