SKAN, Wellcome Sanger Institute & University of Newcastle collaborate on research into rare blood disorder

New Delhi: SKAN Research Trust, founded by Indian entrepreneur Ashok Soota, has launched a collaborative research project with the UK-based Wellcome Sanger Institute and the University of Newcastle. This initiative aims to explore early somatic mutations in blood stem cells, which are thought to be responsible for various cancerous and non-cancerous conditions, with a particular focus on Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), a rare immune cell disorder that mainly affects children aged 0 to 15 years.

The project, titled “Deciphering the Origins of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis and Related Histiocytic Neoplasms,” will be spearheaded by Dr. Jyoti Nangalia, Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Wellcome-MRC Stem Cell Institute. Researchers will delve into the timing of genetic mutations that drive LCH and the manifestation of its clinical symptoms. The study will collaborate with top LCH research centers worldwide to cover LCH driven by different genetic mutations, with SKAN specifically assembling a large cohort of Indian children for the study. This research is timely as scientists strive to understand how certain genetic mutations cause lesions to appear in various body parts at different times.

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

Dr. Jyoti Nangalia emphasized, “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 been instrumental in establishing diagnostic and blood monitoring protocols for LCH (now adopted by the UK NHS Genomic Medicine Services), highlighted, “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 noted, “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”.