DESCRIPTION
The Molecular Biology Unit (MBU) is a facility with the aim of the molecular analysis of cancer patients, with special focus on patients with haematological malignancies (leukaemias and lymphomas). In addition, the MBU carry out chimerism studies in patients who underwent allogeneic
stem-cell transplantation and molecular studies in coagulopathies. The MBU is the reference centre for Castilla y León Hospitals. Furthermore, more than 50 hospitals in Spain, and occasionally others foreign institutions, have used the MBU services. The Unit actively collaborates with the most relevant Spanish groups in the treatment of the haematological malignancies such as Pethema, GEL-TAMO, GEM, or GETH, providing characterization of the molecular abnormalities and carrying out studies on molecular monitoring of drug efficacy (Minimal Residual Disease -MRDStudies)
in the patients included in clinical trials. In addition, the MBU have participated in various international projects focused on different methodologies standardization (Biomed I, Biomed II, Europe Against Cancer and Eurochimerism projects), and it is involved in several international projects related to clonality (EuroClonality), and next generation sequencing (EuroClonality-NGS Consortium).
SERVICES
• B-cell and T-cell clonality for diagnosis or MRD detection in fresh cells (bone marrow, peripheral
blood, lymph node, spleen, etc...) and/or formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded.
• Screening and quantification of chromosomal translocations (qualitative and real-time quantitative
PCR, RT-PCR) for diagnosis and MRD monitoring in hematological malignancies.
• Analysis of somatic mutations: prognostic value, screening of potential MRD markers and/or
identification of therapeutic targets.
• Gene expression: RT-PCR for diagnosis, prognosis and MRD detection.
• Genetic polymorphisms (single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNP], short tandem repeats [STR]) analysis: SNP array, Next generation sequencing, SNP assays. Identification of patients with different drug sensibility, susceptibility to second neoplasia, etc.
• Fragment analysis and Sanger sequencing.
• Low and high resolution HLA typing: donor typing, disease association.
• Hematopoietic chimerism analysis with STR polymorphisms.
EQUIPMENT
• Real-time quantitative (4): One7900HT, two StepOnePlus (Applied Biosystems) and one LightCycler (Roche Diagnostics).
• Automatic sequencer (2): ABI3130 (4-capillary) and ABI3500 XL (16-capillary, Applied Biosystems).
• Fluoroanalyzer (1): Luminex XYP (Luminex Corp.).
• Thermocyclers (8)
• Automatic nucleic acid extractor (2): MagnaPure (Roche Diagnostics) y Maxwell16 (Promega)
• Microbeads-based system for cellular isolation (Miltenyi-Biotec)
Personnel:
Molecular Biology Service: Marcos González Díaz, Ramón García-Sanz, Luis Marín, Rocío Corral, Ana Balanzategui,
M. Carmen Chillón, M. Eugenia A. Sarasquete, Miguel Alcoceba, Elena Sebastián, Cristina Jiménez, Mª Isabel Prieto
Conde, María García-Álvarez, Alicia Antón, Montserrat Hernández-Ruano, Rebeca Maldonado, Alejandra Martín,
Isabel Sánchez, Mercedes Jiménez
Scientific Coordinator:
Marcos González Díaz (Molecular Biology Service)
Phone: (+34) 923 291 100 Ext. 55629
E-mail: margondi@usal.es
Location and contact:
Unidad de Diagnóstico Molecular y Celular
Centro de Investigación del Cáncer (CSIC-USAL)
Campus Universitario Miguel de Unamuno s/n E- 37007 Salamanca (ESPAÑA)
Alberto Orfao (Cytometry Service)
Phone: (+34) 923 294 811
E-mail: orfao@usal.es
Jesús María Hernández Rivas (Molecular Cytogenetics Service)
Phone: (+34) 923 291 100 Ext. 55764
E-mail: jmhr@usal.es
Marcos González Díaz (Molecular Biology Service)
Phone: (+34) 923 291 100 Ext. 55629
E-mail: margondi@usal.es