Information about Project 11: Cytogenetics
Objectives
- Integrate all major cytogenetic laboratories in a European cytogenetic platform to promote the analysis of large data sets of cytogenetic aberrations across Europe. Enter cytogenetic data of all newly diagnosed leukemia patients treated within clinical trials in a newly established data base together with other diagnostic information and clinical follow up data in order to improve prognostic evaluation.
- Standardize cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic techniques to increase quality of diagnostic cytogenetic results across Europe.
- Perform metaanalyses, publish consensus reports and expert reviews, develop guidelines on a European scale.
Description of work
Establishment of a European cytogenetic platform with common communication and information structures thereby facilitating studies on the prognostic impact of rare chromosome abnormalities, on the identification of new recurring chromosome aberrations by analyzing large cytogenetic databases, on the identification and analysis of cryptic and complex chromosome aberrations by using multicolor karyotyping, on the identification of new leukemia genes, their role in leukemogenesis as putative targets for drug development, on the incidence of specific abnormalities with respect to age and geography across Europe.
In order to improve technical expertise in cytogenetic laboratories consensus protocols will be developed for each genetic technique adapted to the different diseases, workshops will be held to learn and practice new techniques and to present state of the art diagnostics and therapeutic consequences for the different leukemia subtypes. Furthermore a forum of experts to whom difficult cases can be presented by e-mail or telemicroscopy will be established. Exchange and training programs for researchers between laboratories to transfer new techniques to other labs will be set up.