Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

FHCRC researchers led by Harlan Robins and Christopher Carlson propose to develop advanced DNA sequencing methods to measure past and present pathogenic exposure in humans. By sequencing tens of millions of antibody genes per person – over 100 times more genes than we can sequence with existing technology – they aim to identify rearrangements that are shared by individuals with the same disease. A catalogue of unique B cell DNA signatures corresponding to distinct pathogen exposures and disease states would comprise a library of associations that can be quickly and inexpensively accessed by clinicians to diagnose and predict risk of future diseases. Eventually, such a repository could be used to screen for novel correlations between environmental exposures and existing or emerging diseases.