###Making sense of missense mutations in aging tissues and cancer
Project ID: 2228bd1101 (You will need this ID for your application)
Research Theme: Healthcare Technologies
UCL Lead department: Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering
Lead Supervisor: Benjamin Hall
Project Summary:
As the body ages, cells endure a diverse range of challenges. Unmutated cells compete neutrally in epithelial tissues, causing stochastic clone loss and expansion over time. Over time cells accrue mutations, altering the cell phenotype. These mutations may arise from exposure to external mutagens, or through intrinsic processes of the cell. Mutant cells may gain new properties, or their fitness may change, driving clonal expansion or loss from the tissue. This leads to an evolutionary process within normal tissues of the body, with a heterogeneous population of mutant cells undergoing constant competitive selection. These mutated cells are not themselves cancerous, but may eventually lead to the development of tumours. Understanding how the tissue remains robust, and how mutations transforms the tissue in carcinogenesis will enable us to identify the fundamental forces that enable and prevent cancer, and support the future development of approaches to better stratify and treat patients