Expression Genomics and the Cell Biology of Cancer
Edison Liu, M.D.
Genome Institute of Singapore
Critical to the success of expression genomics, is the development of a
microarray database with high storage and computational capacity, development
of standardized experimental protocols, novel analytical approaches, customized
analytical tools, and design oligos for microarray expansion. The goal is that
every expression array experiment performed can be cross analyzed against
another throughout the history of the institute and with data in the public domain.
This data-dense platform has enabled a far-reaching and comprehensive
genomics approach to the molecular and clinical characterization of human
cancers.
We have applied this approach to uncover underlying transcriptional control
cassettes in cancers formation, and to decipher potential regulatory pathways
involved in cancer biology. In this process, we observed that the expression
imprints of a tumor type are surprisingly stable and defines hierarchical truths in
carcinogenesis. Gene effects have least impact, followed by pathways, and
lineage giving the greatest impact on the structure of the expression cassette.