MOLECULAR PROBES FOR BURKITT'S AND MANTLE CELL LYMPHOMA

APPLICANT?S DESCRIPTION: The goal of this research is to develop two fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays for the detection of the t(11;14)(q13;q32) and the t(8;14)(q24;q32) chromosomal translocations encountered in Mantle and Burkitt?s B-cell Lymphoma respectively. These tumors are traditionally treated by radiation and chemotherapy; however many patients relapse and become refractory to treatment. Diagnosis and post-treatment follow-up are performed by flow cytometry, karyotype, Southern Blotting, or PCR, each of which has limitations of specificity and/or sensitivity. Therefore, another precise, reliable, and easy method to detect tumor cells especially in the post-treatment specimens is essential. Such a method is FISH. Unfortunately, no clinically tested probes are available for the detection of either Mantle or Burkitt?s Lymphoma. In this Phase I application, we propose to develop BAC-based probes to detect translocation carrying nuclei in diagnostic and follow up patient samples. The probes for each chromosome will be labeled with a different color and will unambiguously identify the two normal and the two rearranged chromosomes in each nucleus, thereby providing high specificity and sensitivity. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The proposed research will provide FISH assays to detect the t(11;14)(q13;q32) and t(8;14)(q24;q32) chromosomal translocations encountered in Mantle Cell Lymphoma and Burkitt's Lymphoma, respectively, for use in cancer cytogenetic reference laboratories.