Scientists fingerprint single cancer cells to map cancer’s family tree

A new method to take the DNA fingerprint of individual cancer cells is uncovering the true extent of cancer’s genetic diversity, new research reveals.  The technique can identify the founding mutations from which a tumour evolved and then uses computer software to draw a map of the cancer’s family tree.  Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute used DNA sequencing to identify a panel of mutations present across thousands of cancer cells in three patients with leukaemia. They then tested hundreds of individual cancer cells for each of the mutations to determine their