MD Anderson Research Highlight
September 04, 2025
Breast cancer often starts in the epithelial cells lining the milk ducts and lobules, but there are many subtypes that make it challenging to identify the cancer’s starting point within normal tissue. Researchers led by Nicholas Navin, Ph.D., developed a new single-cell DNA and RNA sequencing technology – called wellDR-seq – to identify ancestral breast cancer cells. By studying the impact of chromosome gains or losses on gene expression, the researchers were able to uncover the molecular aspects of why some breast cancers are more aggressive or invasive.  The researchers profiled 33,646 single cells from 12 estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers, quantifying the amount of certain genes that are actively expressed in tumor cells, as well as the number of copies of specific genes or chromosome segments and their genetic changes over time. These results provide insights into cancer initiation and invasion. While this technique was applied to cancer research, it can also be used to understand the molecular biology of other diseases. Learn more in Cell.  Â
WellDR-seq is an exciting new technology that enables us to simultaneously measure DNA and RNA in the same cells to understand how chromosomal changes in breast cancer impact gene expression and lead to cancer progression.