Genome Damage and Stability Centre

我们的基因组由长DNA分子组成，其中包含遗传蓝图，告诉我们身体的每个部分如何运作。这个巨大的参考图书馆，包含了所有的指令，既允许我们从鸡蛋成长为成年人，又决定了我们日常生活的每一个功能，正在不断地被破坏。一个例子是我们的皮肤细胞。这些细胞中的基因组不断受到阳光的破坏。另一个是我们的肠道：我们的肠道细胞？基因组被食物中的致癌物质破坏。在我们所有的细胞中，仅仅是存在于体温下，我们的基因组就在不断地被破坏，在每个细胞中每小时有1000个碱基（我们基因组的基石）被破坏。幸运的是，我们的细胞含有复杂的机制，可以通过修复所有这些损伤来保护我们的基因组。正是这些保护过程是基因组损害和稳定中心的工作重点。如果这些修复机制停止正常工作，有两种可能的后果。首先，遗传损伤（即错误的指令）可以传递给我们的后代。这可能会导致遗传疾病。其次，我们身体中的单个细胞可能会开始丢失信息并积累永久的遗传变化（突变）。这个中心让不同学科的科学家可以互相合作，互相得益。的专业知识。我们的工作范围从研究修复细胞内DNA的蛋白质分子，癌细胞中改变的基因到对癌症易感人群的调查。我们的部分研究是研究几种遗传疾病，其中一种DNA修复系统有缺陷。这导致受影响的个体具有非常高的癌症发病率，比一般人群高1000倍以上。通过发现患有这些疾病的人的缺陷的性质，我们不仅能够帮助诊断并有望治愈这些疾病，而且还能够对癌症如何发生获得一般性的见解。在接下来的五年里，除了继续我们的基础研究外，我们还将加强与临床医生的联系，开发联合培训项目，并与当地医院的癌症中心合作建立癌症组织库。我们的工作将有助于最终设计出更合理的癌症疗法。

Our genomes are made up of long DNA molecules that contain the genetic blueprint that tells every part of our body how to function. This vast reference library, which contains all the instructions that both allowed us to grow from an egg to an adult and dictates every function of our everyday lives, is continually being damaged. One example is our skin cells. The genome in these cells is constantly damaged by sunlight. Another is our intestines: our intestinal cells? genomes are damaged by carcinogens in food. In all our cells, simply by existing at body temperature, our genomes are constantly being damaged, at the rate of 1000 bases (the building blocks of our genomes) every hour in every cell. Fortunately, our cells contain sophisticated mechanisms for protecting our genomes by repairing all this damage. It is these protection processes that are the focus of the work of the Genome Damage and Stability Centre. If these repair mechanisms stop working properly, there are two possible consequences. First, genetic damage (i.e. wrong instructions) can be passed on to our offspring. This could cause a genetic disease. Second, individual cells in our body can start losing information and accumulating permanent genetic changes (mutations). When this happens, cancer can result.The Centre enables scientists of different disciplines to work together and benefit from each other?s expertise. Our work ranges from studies on the protein molecules that repair DNA inside cells, the genes that are altered in cancer cells through to investigations on cancer-prone people. Part of our research is the study of several genetic diseases in which one of the DNA repair systems is faulty. This results in the affected individuals having very high incidences of cancer, more than 1000 times higher than in the general population. By discovering the nature of the defects in people with these disorders, we are able not only to help diagnose and hopefully cure these conditions, but also to gain general insights into how cancers can arise. Over the next five years, as well as continuing our basic research, we will strengthen our links with clinicians by developing joint training programs and establishing a cancer tissue bank in collaboration with the cancer centre at the local hospital. Our work will help ultimately to design more rational cancer therapies.