By combining advanced gene editing techniques, scientists identified key mutations that influence tumor growth and drug resistance in lung cancer, offering new avenues for tailored cancer therapies. Study: Multimodal scanning of genetic variants with base and prime editing . Image Credit: Andrii Yalanskyi / Shutterstock In a recent study published in the journal Nature Biotechnology , researchers in Switzerland used base and prime editing to create and analyze a wide array of variants of the epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in multiple cell lines, including cancer and non-cancer cells, to study their effects on cancer progression and drug resistance.
They found both previously known and novel mutations significantly linked to EGFR activation and drug response, demonstrating the method's precision and revealing new pathways affecting tumor growth and mechanisms of drug resistance. Background Despite advances in genome sequencing, several genetic variants remain classified as variants of uncertain significance (VUS), complicating disease diagnosis and treatment. This is particularly evident in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)-linked EGFR variants, where around 50% of EGFR variants are VUS.
Current treatments, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that target EGFR, are less effective against non-canonical mutations, leading to poor outcomes and drug resistance. New methods like multiplex assays and screens based on clustered, regularly interspaced short pali.