Artificial intelligence tool enriches a gold-mine in cancer genomics

The fragments of cancer DNA analyzed by the authors of this new study originate from the human genome, the sequence of which results from millions of years of evolution, and has been shaped by "copy-paste-edit" processes and co-evolution with parasitic elements. For example, 8% of our DNA comes from past viral infections. The tortuous mutational processes that have shaped our genomes intensify and become life-threatening in the genomes of cancer cells, leading to anarchic cell mutation and proliferation. The repeated sequences of DNA in our genomes are not only a fossil of our past evolution, but also hold a track record of how a cancer has evolved, which helps scientists understand and study cancer development and progression. Current technologies allow scientists to read and piece together billions of short DNA sequences to study cancer genomes and identify mutations within them.