A cutting-edge sequencing technology performed well during recent testing in Sainte-Justine’s research labs and could soon become an important ally in the fight against pediatric cancers.
The team from a scientific platform led by Dr. Vincent-Philippe Lavallée demonstrated the technology’s ability to provide vital tumour information used to make a highly accurate diagnosis, in record time.
Like other types of genomic sequencing, metagenomic sequencing by Oxford Nanopore Technologies, or ONT, allows the DNA of a child or their tumour to be examined in detail to pinpoint the tiny defects at the root of the cancer. By optimizing the technology in a way no one else has, Dr. Lavallée’s team demonstrated that this type of sequencing can be carried out faster and provides a larger volume of information about tumours. And that’s not all:
- It leads to highly accurate cancer diagnoses in 3 days, instead of 3 to 4 weeks with the current clinical techniques.
- A single test could eventually replace several of the 3 to 6 tests currently being used to achieve the same diagnostic accuracy.
- It’s more than 95% effective, that is, it successfully identified practically the same—and sometimes even more—information about each tumour than standard tests.
“There are many advantages to streamlining the diagnostic process with just one quick test, explains Dr. Vincent-Philippe Lavallée, clinician scientist at the Centre de recherche Azrieli du CHU Sainte-Justine. It could allow us to initiate more targeted therapies earlier, maximize the chances of recovery, reduce or prevent complications with long-term side effects, and discharge children from the hospital sooner. All of which would benefit both the health network and patients alike.”
The DNA of disease
Dr. Lavallée sees it every week in his clinical work at Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau at CHU Sainte-Justine: a fast, accurate diagnosis can make all the difference in the care journey of a child with cancer. The more information he and his colleagues have about a tumour, its makeup and its vulnerabilities, the better informed their choice of treatment and the better the chances of a healthy future for the children and their families.
That’s why Dr. Lavallée spends a great deal of time and effort testing out different state-of-the-art technologies that could lead to detailed diagnoses faster. His work is made possible by the invaluable support of donors and partners, including the Charles-Bruneau Foundation, the Azrieli Foundation, CIBC and the Cole Foundation.
Another example of a promising new technology is single-cell sequencing. As its name suggests, this type of sequencing performs an in-depth analysis of all the tumour cells in a sample one by one, rather than as a whole.
That level of sophistication can be invaluable in certain circumstances, such as leukemia, of which there are many different types. The most dangerous cancer cells aren’t always the same in each case. Having a deep understanding of what makes up a disease can therefore be a gamechanger when it comes to choosing a treatment.
We’re constantly redefining the benchmark for identifying children’s cancers with the highest accuracy. Some of the tools developed in our laboratory will likely be standard in the clinical setting in 5 to 10 years. But first, they have to prove their added value, and that’s done through research. Donors and partners who provide the necessary funding are critical to helping us advance the quality of patient care.
Your donations make a world of difference
By leveraging new technologies, research can push the boundaries of our understanding of cancers, and our ability to diagnose and treat them effectively. And because of your support, work like Dr. Lavallée’s can improve the health outcomes of children across the province.
Thank you for helping Sainte-Justine grow beyond current diagnostic solutions to provide families with world-class care!
